Secrets
by Just Jill
Summary: Marjory Jourdemain has a secret that she's kept most of her life. When she moves to Angel Grove, she suddenly has more than one to keep.
1. "Live Your Life Your Own Way" - Leatherw...

Secrets

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

Writer's note two: This starts in the Ninjetti season, for those who know the show, before Aisha goes to Africa, and the whole Zeo season starts. Also, I have nothing against Tanya, and I hope I haven't made her out to be something she's not.

"Live Your Life Your Own Way"  
Leatherwolf, _Cry Out_

  


Margery Jourdemain stared in disbelief at the front of Angel Grove High School. Everyone she saw was conservatively dressed - yes, a couple of girls actually wore mini-skirts - but it looked nothing like any of her previous high schools. She pulled her black shawl tighter around her, rolled her shoulders back, and strode into the school. It didn't help that school had started a month ago. She felt a little like Don Quixote jousting at windmills. She had no idea what she was walking into. 

The first person she noticed after she'd been to the office was a tall, slender blonde in a pink sweater and mini-skirt, standing at a locker. Her shoulder-length blonde hair gracefully framed her face, flowing down either side in waves. She wore white tights and flat, comfortable looking shoes. Then Margery blinked as her unreliable ability kicked in, the one to See beyond normal sight, and Looked at her. The girl was a were-cat. With a pink aura. She took one step in that direction, and knew, suddenly and with part of that unreliable ability, that her locker was right next to the girl's. She had met Tabitha the same way. 

Her locker opened easily, and just as she started putting her books inside, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Hi. Are you new here?" Her voice was cheerful, and had an Australian accent. Margery turned to face her, and smiled. She'd be a white cat. (Where had that come from?) 

"Hi. Yeah. My name's Maggie." She extended a hand. 

"Katherine." As their hands touched, Margery felt a surge of power and knew this girl was more powerful than anyone she'd ever met, and it had nothing to do with her being a were-cat. "Welcome to Angel Grove." 

"Thanks." Margery took her hand back, and turned to her locker, where she shook it out. A were-cat with power? Odd. It was a flavor of power she didn't recognize, either. Certainly nothing like any of the other were-creatures she'd met. Not that she'd met a lot, only Tabitha. She filed it away with the other samples of power she had come across in her life. 

"Hey, Kat! Have you seen the others?" The boy's voice brought Margery back out of her locker. He was taller than Katherine, and well built. His brown hair was longer than her own, and tied back. He wore a white t-shirt and jeans. His face was kind and strong. 

"Not yet. Tommy, this is Maggie. She just started today." 

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Tommy said, and extended his hand. Margery took it, and had to mask the shock she felt. He was more powerful than Katherine (had he really called her Kat?), because he'd been around the power longer. Not to mention that he 'tasted' just a little different, like they were both ice cream, but different flavors. She surreptitiously shook her hand out again. 

Been around it? Odd thing to think. Then she realized he was speaking to her. "Sorry, what?" 

"Want to join us for lunch?" he repeated patiently. 

"Sure. Thanks," she smiled. "Meet you here?" At his nod, she grabbed a notebook, and started down the hall. "See you then." She passed a trio, two boys and a girl, and from the flurry behind her, that's who they had been waiting for. She didn't turn to look. One of the boys was really good looking, and she didn't want to get involved. She'd be leaving soon. The thought didn't hold the confirmation she was used to by now, and she wondered at it. 

At lunch she waited by her locker, but not long. She noticed the good looking boy from the trio at his locker across the hall and a little farther down. He wore black jeans with suspenders and a white t-shirt just tight enough to show off the definition in his chest and arms. Short dark hair curled across his forehead and behind his ears. Definitely someone she would like to get to know better. As if on cue, he turned, and smiled when he saw her. "Hi." He walked across the hall. "Are you Maggie?" His mouth smiled, but his eyes were wary. Burned, she thought to herself. 

"Yes. Hi. I'm waiting for Kat and Tommy." Do they even know how ironic her name is? 

"I'm Adam." The shock must have shown when she touched his hand, because he got a concerned expression. "Are you okay?" 

She nodded and took her hand back quickly. "Fine," she said. Younger than Tommy, older than Kat, she thought, and he tasted different, darker, almost richer than the other two. And he was far too cute for words. What, did I stumble across all the people in the whole school with any power at all? If so, it's a powerful coven. They don't seem to earth their power, and it doesn't seem to be having a bad effect on them, either. 

He nodded. "I'm going on to Ernie's. Want to come with?" 

Do I ever! she thought, and then wished she could kick herself without looking like an idiot. "No, but thanks. I'd better wait for them." 

"All right. If they're already there, I'll come back and get you." 

"Thanks." She watched him go, then shook her head. "I can't get involved," she muttered, then sighed deeply and leaned against her locker, closing her eyes. "I just can't." 

"Can't what?" Kat's cheerful voice broke into her thoughts, and she realized Adam was out of sight. Flushing slightly, she turned to Kat and Tommy. 

"I can't believe how friendly this place is. Adam is on his way to... Ernie's?" She watched them exchange glances. 

"Yeah, the Youth Center. Ernie runs a juice bar there, and that's where we usually hang out. It's where we meet, most of the time," Tommy explained. 

"Let's catch up with him, then." Kat took Tommy's arm and they started forward. 

"Kat! Tommy! Wait up!" The girl's voice brought them all around. Margery recognized the girl as one of Adam's companions from that morning. 

"Aisha, Billy," Tommy grinned. "This is Maggie." Margery nodded and braced herself. "This is Aisha, and that's Billy." 

Aisha was a cute, dark skinned girl in a yellow jumper that reached to her knees, black tights, and black shoes. Her long black hair was held back from her face by a yellow hair band. She was of African ancestry, certainly. As expected, she had power as well, of Adam's... vintage. There was a difference, slight, but she couldn't have said what it was. More light? Margery smiled at her. 

Her companion, Billy, was a geeky-looking boy in denim jeans and a blue shirt. His blonde hair was cut short but styled nicely. His blue eyes, behind thick glasses, looked a lot less foolish than the rest of him. She braced herself as he took her hand, but her eyes still widened in disbelief, and she took a step back. He.... his power was older and stronger even than Tommy's. She stepped into Tommy, and he and Kat both steadied her. Her senses, suddenly sensitive and not used to the power they all held, overloaded and she blacked out.

  


When she came to, Tommy was still lowering her to the ground. The other three had worried expressions on their faces. Drawing her personal shields in tightly around her, she struggled out of Tommy's grip. "I'm all right. I didn't mean to startle you." She brushed herself off, adeptly avoiding their attempts to steady her. "We shouldn't keep Adam waiting." I should have strengthened my shields, she thought. It wasn't as if I didn't have any warning. 

She didn't miss the looks that passed among them, and smiled. "She's right," Kat said. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

Margery nodded. "I'm sure, thank you." She positioned herself next to Kat, as far from Billy as she could. His experience with the power, how long he'd been around it, was mind boggling. She could almost taste the flavor, too. It wasn't familiar, something cool, but still... Then she realized Kat had said something and looked at her. "What? I'm sorry." 

"Where are you from?" Kat repeated. 

"I was born in Oklahoma City, raised in lots of places. Just moved from Portland, Oregon." 

"I wondered why you said this school was so friendly. You sounded very experienced," Kat said. 

Margery chuckled. "More than I ever thought I would be." 

"Why did you move so much?" Aisha asked. 

"My dad. He keeps looking for the perfect place to live." She grinned. "And the perfect school. He'll come by tomorrow and check out the High School. Should come as a shock to him." 

"What does your mom think about all this moving?" Aisha asked. 

Maggie grinned wryly. She'd fielded the question so many times it no longer bothered her. "My mom died about seven years ago - 20 moves ago. We didn't move much until then. It's like dad is trying to move away from the memory or something." 

Aisha blinked. "I'm sorry," she said softly, and looked at a loss for words. 

Maggie smiled. "Its okay." 

They arrived at a youth center, and Adam waved at them from a table by the counter. With him sat a brown haired young man in a red plaid shirt and black jeans. He looked vaguely Mexican, and had probably been the third companion of Aisha and Adam from that morning. His greeting was cheerful and he introduced himself as Rocky. Margery dreaded having to shake his hand, and got a welcome surprise. He held the same vintage of power as Adam and Aisha, with the same slight difference from Aisha that Adam had, something between Aisha and Adam. Her sigh of relief was more obvious than she wanted. 

"That's it," Kat smiled, patting her shoulder. 

"Good." Margery smiled. "I have now met more people in one day that I usually get to know in three months. I just hope I don't get anyone's name confused." 

"We won't hold it against you," Kat said with a grin. 

"Hey, geeks!" With a resigned sigh, Tommy and Kat turned around, and Margery looked around to see the boy with the booming voice. He was... large, and dressed in jeans, a tie-die shirt, and a jean jacket that had seen better days. His long, thinning hair had been tied back. "We heard of a sighting in the Park. We're off to find the Power Rangers!" 

"Yeah!" his companion chimed in, a thinner boy with short, near-black hair. "And we'll find out who they are, and we'll be famous!" 

Margery saw Kat and Tommy exchange amused glances, and checked the others. Rocky smiled, and Aisha laughed. Why? 

"When was this sighting?" Kat asked. 

"A very reliable source told us they were there now." Aisha had to turn her head to hide her laughter. 

"Maggie," Adam said from across the table, and her heart jumped. That is enough nonsense! she thought loudly to herself. "This is Bulk and Skill. Their dream is to find out the identities of the Power Rangers and expose them." 

"Bulk, Skull, this is Maggie," Kat said. They both looked at her, and she smiled in some relief as they dismissed her. 

"Hi," they both mumbled. "Just wait. You'll see," Bulk said, and pulled Skull out the door with him. 

"Power Rangers?" Margery asked, looking confused. Then she nodded. "Oh, yes, I remember. I'd forgotten they manifested most often here." 

"Great," Rocky muttered. "She sounds just like Billy." 

"Hey," Billy protested, grinning. 

"Good thing I can translate," Aisha teased him. 

Margery watched them tease Rocky, leaning back and relaxing. She turned her shields down to normal, certain there would be no more surprises. 

A tinny beeping cut through the conversation, and Tommy glanced at his watch, a large, white-banded silver one. She didn't see the face of it. "Oh, man. Guys, we have practice, remember? Look, Maggie, we'll see you back at school, okay?" They all gathered their books with an odd haste. 

"Sure, okay." She watched them go, confused. What had chased them off? A sudden aftershock, a kind of wake due to use of power, slapped against her shields strong enough to rock her back in her chair. It tasted... ancient. Much older than Billy. But the same stuff, still like ice cream, and a neutral flavor, as if it were the base of their powers. Preoccupied, she finished her lunch and walked back to the school, wondering what they had done to generate that much power, and so quickly. 

At the end of the day, she leaned wearily against her locker, mentally gathering strength for the walk home. She felt drained. And tonight was Samhain, autumn equinox, and an important part of her life. Speaking of which... She turned and spotted Adam, and suddenly found herself checking her hair. Hissing angrily, she jerked her hands down and walked over. "Adam? Hi. Those two at lunch said something about a park?" 

"Yeah, Angel Grove Park." He looked at her for a minute. "I can show you where it is, if you want." 

"Okay." She got half way back to her locker before she realized what she'd done. Skipping across the hall?! Angry at herself, she grabbed her books and closed her locker. When she turned back, Aisha and Rocky had appeared, and Adam was explaining what was up. She couldn't decide if her sigh was one of disappointment or relief. Especially when they invited themselves. He looked a lot more comfortable, too. 

In the park, Margery started smiling and didn't seem to be able to stop. "This is perfect." It also made her feel less drained. She decided she would like to spend a lot of time in this park. 

"What for?" Adam asked. 

"Oh.... I'm a nature nut." Like I can tell you I'm Wiccan. That would freak them all out. Unless they are a coven, but the magic doesn't feel quite right.... "This is a beautiful park." She decided not to tell them yet, just in case. 

"Yes," Aisha grinned. "We really like it." 

"Is it big?" 

"Huge," Rocky said, and shared a grin with the other two. 

"Have you guys known each other long?" Margery asked. 

"Yes," Aisha said. 

"I can tell." She cast one last look around, turning on her heel to survey the whole area. "Is there a curfew?" 

"No," Adam grinned. "Night owl, too?" 

"Full moons bring out the best in me." 

"Are you a werewolf?" Rocky asked. 

"She said the best, not the worst," Aisha grinned, punching his shoulder. He grinned goofily. 

"Does the park border on Main?" Margery asked. 

Adam nodded and pointed. "That way." 

"Great." I can find a quiet place here somewhere, I'm sure, she thought. "Is the park usually busy?" 

"Only during volleyball and baseball," Aisha volunteered. 

"Loner, too?" Adam asked. Rocky nudged him, and he flushed slightly. 

"Only occasionally." Actually, that describes my life perfectly. What, can you read my mind, too? Perfect! She smiled to take the sting out of her thoughts, just in case. He didn't react, looking out over the wide expanse of space. "I'm going to explore the park, maybe find a quiet place to study," she added. 

"I know one," Adam said suddenly. "It may take a while to find it, though." 

"I've got to get back," Aisha smiled. "I'm meeting Kat for a swim." 

Rocky grinned a little knowingly. "I'm going to sit in on Tommy's class. I'll catch you later." 

"Bye," Margery said, a little stunned. Did they do that on purpose? she wondered as the two of them ran off. 

Adam closed his eyes for a minute, then glanced around. "That way." 

She followed him through the park, a winding path that doubled back on itself. "I'm sorry," he said after the third time. 

"That's okay. Did you see it from the air or something?" She didn't miss his startled look. 

"No. A game. I was blindfolded." He turned a corner and smiled a beautiful smile. Her heart fluttered and she screamed wordlessly at it in her mind. "I knew it was around here somewhere." He gestured, taking in a whole, small clearing, and Margery's smile matched his. 

"This is beautiful. And perfect. Thank you." 

A tinny beeping that sounded familiar came from his watch, and he glanced at it. From what she saw, it looked just like Tommy's, only in black instead of red. Probably why it sounded so familiar. "Sorry," he apologized again. "I guess I didn't notice the time. See you tomorrow?" 

She nodded. "Have a good evening." 

He dashed off, and then that ancient power brushed her shields again, rocking her back. She ran out of the clearing, past the trees to the rest of the park, but saw no sign of Adam. He couldn't have gotten that far, could he? What could he have done to disappear like that? Not to mention generate enough power to almost knock her over, and so quickly. She stared around, then set off for home, shaking her head in vexation. She was, at this point, fairly sure they weren't Wiccan. Although what they were was anybody's guess.

  
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	2. "I Have the Answers, the Secret is Mine"...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

Writer's note two: This starts in the Ninjetti season, for those who know the show, before Aisha goes to Africa, and the whole Zeo season starts. Also, I have nothing against Tanya, and I hope I haven't made her out to be something she's not.

"I Have the Answers, the Secret is Mine"  
Leatherwolf, _Thunder_

  


The radio woke her that morning with a report of the Power Ranger's latest battle with a monster, commenting on how once again they had all been saved from certain doom by the costumed heros. Maggie groaned and got up, dressed, and headed for school without thinking about much more than getting her stuff together and getting out the door. 

The walk was interesting, though. She'd never actually seen a battle sight until now. There were huge holes in the street and in the sides of buildings. Construction crews, looking resigned, were already working on patching the holes in the street. "...never come down here," Maggie overheard one guy saying, and slowed down to catch the rest of the conversation. 

"Yeah, but did you see it last night? The thing almost got away from them," another guy said. "It was getting close to my neighborhood." 

Maggie shook her head. "I'm busy," she mumbled, and sped up a little to get to school on time. 

She was standing against her locker, wishing the Goddess, Lady of Light, hadn't had quite so much to tell her. She was going to be sorting it all out for the rest of the week, at least, if not longer. At least she'd thought to take paper and pen with her this time. She'd nearly fallen asleep again when someone touched her shoulder, jolting her awake. She turned and grinned at Rocky. "Morning." 

"You look like you didn't get much sleep." 

She shook her head. "No. I like to watch the moon rise, and it was late." Not to mention that I had a lot on my mind, and so did She. I really hate training sessions. She wrenched her mind back to the present. "How was your afternoon?" 

"Mostly uneventful. I just did homework." He made a face. 

She chuckled. "Me, too." 

"Joining us for lunch?" 

"Definitely." She nearly winced at the enthusiasm in her own voice. She was going to have to stop staring at Adam whenever she saw him, or he'd get suspicious. Of course, if someone else did, it would be just as bad. With that group, he'd still find out. 

"Good." He started across the hall to his locker. 

"Rocky, what was all that noise last night?" she asked suddenly, walking across the hall after him. 

"That was one of Zedd's monsters and the Power Rangers." He smiled. "Did it keep you up?" 

"No. I was in the park. And I noticed rubble in the streets on the way to school this morning." She smiled. "See you at lunch."

  


Over the next few days, she determined that they each had watches like Tommy and Adam's, but in different colors. Mostly because they each went off when she was near them. When she mentioned it, they went still except Tommy. 

"They were gifts from an old friend," he said calmly. 

"Must be nice to stay in one place long enough to have old friends." Old? How old? Ancient? Awfully high tech for the vintage of the power she still felt occasionally. "They're nice." She struggled to keep the envy out of her voice. 

"Thanks." Aisha relaxed, then Margery realized how much tension had been in the group. Tension? over such a simple question? Well, they have their secrets, and I have mine. I'll leave them to theirs. 

But then it began to get hard to leave them their secret; she was too curious for her own good, and too many weird things were going on. She'd notice, in study hall, that they'd gather their books and leave, then that power would brush her shields. She wished that she could see what they were doing to generate that kind of power. Once, wandering around the school, it was close enough to knock her down. She got up, walked around the corner, and there was Adam's backpack. No Adam to be seen. She sat next to it and waited. 

Before long, that same power knocked her over - and Adam, Rocky and Aisha walked around the corner. 

"I told you that you left it here," Aisha said, glancing at Adam as Margery pushed herself back up from the ground. That power had been really strong again, and she hadn't been prepared. She was going to have to do something about this. 

"I figured I'd wait a while to see if you came back. This is a beautiful place." She gestured to the well manicured lawn. 

"We like to study here instead of the library, sometimes," Adam said, picking up his backpack and slipping it onto his shoulder. Margery stood and turned to find Rocky leaning against the wall, watching her. He grinned. 

"You look startled." 

"There are too many weird things going on," she said, then heard what she'd said and blushed. Oh, how am I going to explain that? 

A use of power, this one as ancient, but evil, shoved her into the wall, and she paused a minute to catch her breath. 

"You haven't seen weird yet," a sinister voice said. Margery turned and stared at the... thing... looking back at her. 

"What is that?" she asked, and looked at Adam. 

He stood beautifully balanced, hands up in a defense position, a snarl on his handsome face. She turned to see Rocky in the same defensive posture, eyes intensely focused on the monster in front of them. Aisha touched her arm, distracting her. "Maggie, get out of here. Both Adam and Rocky are exceptional fighters, it'll be okay." 

Margery looked at her, then turned to run, catching the barest hint of a yellow aura as Aisha dropped into a fighting stance as well. The yellow aura didn't sink in until she'd made it to Ernie's and had stopped just inside the door. "It'll be okay?" she asked out loud, sinking down at the nearest table. "I don't even know if that thing were human!" The power brushed her shields, just nudging her slightly - it was a good distance off. "Idealistic...." she muttered, thinking of Aisha's aura, and shook her head. "Weird doesn't happen continuously like this, unless you live in Sunnydale, which I don't. Therefore, something is up." Obviously. But what? She folded her arms on the table, and put her head down. This move has definitely been the most intriguing one yet. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Kat's accented voice broke into the calm she'd finally found, and she looked up. Kat and Tommy stood next to her, concerned looks on their faces. 

"Fine. Just got a bit of a scare earlier." 

"Aisha told me," Kat said. 

"What?" Tommy asked as he and Kat sat down. 

"Oh, I found Adam's backpack, and about the time he got back to it, so did this... thing. Aisha suggested I get out of there, so I did." While she spoke, she Looked at Tommy, suddenly aware that she could. It was as if that talent had suddenly just... turned on, and she made a note in her mind to thank the Lady for those training sessions she hated so much. The thought almost took her mind off of Tommy, until she caught Sight of him again. His aura was white. Then she met his eyes and her forehead wrinkled in confusion. His aura broadcast innocense. But his eyes spoke of experience and a maturation from that experience, not all of it good. 

"What's wrong?" Kat asked. 

"Just... is Aisha okay? And Adam and Rocky?" She'd almost said Adam first; she wasn't ready to give herself away just yet. 

"Fine," Kat smiled. 

"Good." Margery began to gather her books. "I didn't know they knew the martial arts. I think I've been oblivious." She looked closely at Tommy. "Yes. You, too, right?" Tommy nodded. "And you a little?" she asked Kat, who nodded slightly and turned to Tommy. 

"I've learned from Tommy and the others." 

"Billy, too?" She could not hide her surprise. I have to get a look at him. 

"Yes," Kat smiled, obviously more comfortable. 

"He's improved a lot," Tommy added. 

"Who has?" Billy asked, stopping by the table. Maggie nodded. The signs were there for him, too, she just hadn't seen them. 

"You have," Tommy said, "in martial arts." 

"Oh." He colored slightly. "Thank you." 

Margery took the opportunity and Looked at him, more to keep in practice than for anything else. His aura glowed a brilliant blue - although that could be attributed to Aisha's joining the party. His eyes certainly lit up. "Hi." 

"You're all right? What was that?" Margery asked. 

"That was one of Lord Zedd's monsters. They're rather... numerous," Aisha smiled. Margery Looked at her as well. Still with a yellow aura, still idealistic. About what? 

Now, wait. She Looked at Kat, not really surprised that her aura was pink. "Zedd? Oh, the bad guy. I'm sorry. I told you I was oblivious." 

Aisha laughed. "No reason to be concerned. The Power Rangers will keep you safe." Margery smiled, then her smile faded. I'm not worried about them, she thought. I want to know what you guys do with your power. Maybe, if I get a Look at Adam and Rocky, I'll have the whole picture. 

As if on cue, Rocky came in looking vexed. Of course, his aura Showed red. "What is it?" Tommy asked. 

"My... backpack is gone. I don't... I can't remember where I put it." He looked around in distraction. 

"This one?" Kat held up a red back pack, and he relaxed. 

"Yes, thanks." He took it from her and checked it, to make sure everything was there. Checking the front pockets, he sagged in relief. "It's all here." 

Then why is your aura still red? They all headed back to the school, and Margery continued to wonder. At her first chance, she was going to have a Look at Adam, too. 

She didn't get the chance until after school; he stood at his locker, smiling at something either Aisha or Rocky had said. Both of them were smiling as well, the perfect picture of good friends. To her surprise, Adam's aura was black, and Rocky's was still red; Aisha's, of course, was yellow. What? Why? They looked happy; Adam couldn't be that hateful. Could he? She shook her head, closed her locker, and started down the hall, waving good bye to the trio waiting for the others. She was going to have to think about this. No way could those auras all be right. 

Sitting in the park, she stared across the open space, her chemistry book open and forgotten in front of her. She mulled over what she'd Seen, and Felt, since she'd moved to Angel Grove. The power brushed her shields, but distantly, and she barely noticed it anymore. Then the other, as ancient but vile, feeling like rancid oil on her shields, was strong enough to knock her over. She shivered and pulled her shawl closer around her. Zedd? Magic? 

The monster walked into the center of the field below her, and she stared in disbelief. Then that familiar, ancient power brushed her shields and knocked her onto her back. When she sat up again, the Power Rangers stood poised in front of the monster. She stared at them for a minute; she hadn't seen them yet, and was surprised at the vibrance of the colors they wore. Something tickled the back of her mind, something she should be paying attention to, but it wouldn't formulate so she could examine it. There was something familiar about the way the black ranger stood, and the red ranger for that matter, but she didn't stay around to find out any more. She'd seen the damage caused by these fights, and she didn't want to be caught in the middle. She hastily gathered her books and left.


	3. "Meet the Real Me" - Megadeath, Sweating...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

Writer's note two: This starts in the Ninjetti season, for those who know the show, before Aisha goes to Africa, and the whole Zeo season starts. Also, I have nothing against Tanya, and I hope I haven't made her out to be something she's not.

  


"Meet the Real Me"  
Megadeath, _Sweating Bullets_

  


Back at Ernie's, sipping a lemonade, it clicked. The Black Ranger had stood exactly as Adam had that day she'd found his back pack; the Red Ranger's stance had matched Rocky's. And the power she'd been feeling.... She nearly choked on her drink. Setting it carefully to the side, she pulled out a notebook, and listed the colors of the Power Rangers, then the auras of her friends. They fit. There was no variation, nothing different. And their watches, too, matched almost perfectly in color. In fact, it was almost as if the Power Rangers wore the colors of the auras on the outside. Her eyes widened, and she stood so suddenly that her chair fell over. Pale, she righted it, not even noticing the odd glances from the others in the juice bar, then gathered her books and ran. 

Secrets is one thing, but this is amazing! she thought, walking home, completely forgetting that she was going to meet them later. I can't tell anyone. Should I tell them? She wrestled with the thought all the way home, and started her homework without being any closer to an answer. 

The phone rang that evening, breaking her thoughts, and she answered it almost robotically. "Hello?" She was still struggling with what to do about her knowledge. She had nearly decided to perform a short ceremony and ask for help when the phone rang. 

"Maggie? Are you okay?" Kat sounded worried. "We thought you were going to meet us." 

"Oh, I was, wasn't I." She chuckled slightly. "I... got another look at one of Zedd's monsters, and it kinda threw me. I'm fine, just... I think I'm going to stay here this evening. Thanks for calling, I'll see you tomorrow." 

"You're sure?" 

"Yes, thanks." She was being short, and couldn't help it. It was such a shock! 

"All right. Til then." 

"Night, Kat." She hung up, feeling almost worse than she had on her way home. She took a deep breath and began to pull stuff she'd need out of the ash wood chest on her dresser. She was going to have to know what to do about this. 

She didn't feel any better the next day. The answer she'd gotten was ambiguous, but she felt it was more her fault than anything; she couldn't concentrate on it, so the answer had gotten garbled. She'd finally just decided that she would tell them, and the answer to that thought had been much clearer. It hadn't made her feel any better; she hated the unknown like this! 

Maggie managed to avoid them almost the whole day, which wasn't easy; AGHS was a small school. She only saw Adam long enough to give him the note she had meant to stick in his locker - his only because she knew that he knew where the clearing was. At least, that's what she told herself. His hand brushed hers, and she sighed. Yes, same taste. Just a little... personalized, a little... blacker. She could practically taste the color, now that she knew what it was. She felt the blood drain from her face as it sank in more concretely. The power was the same as his aura? Or was it the power that she was actually Seeing and Feeling? 

"Is everything all right?" he asked as she stepped away from him, rubbing her arms. She suddenly felt chilled. 

"I'm not sure," she said, and barely mustered a smile before she turned and walked out, fighting her instinct to run. He called after her once, but didn't pursue her, and she was glad. Once outside and out of his sight, she did run, racing across the park to the private clearing he had shown her, the one she had used just a week ago for her second ceremony here in Angel Grove. She sat in the center of it, spread her black skirt around her, closed her eyes, and waited, finding her center as she did so. 

When they got there, she had finally reached that calm, and the butterflies in her stomach had settled a lot. Adam was the first person she saw when she opened her eyes, and they started up again, but for a perfectly normal, perfectly teenage reason. He WAS nice to look at. 

"Is something wrong?" Tommy asked. By all reports, as White, he was the leader of the Rangers. She actually could believe that; she'd noticed how they all followed his lead. On the other hand, they were all leaders themselves, or on their way; Adam was still too shy, and Rocky was just a bit too... rambunctious. But that had changed even over the few weeks she'd known them. 

Margery smiled, surprised and pleased to discover that the expression was genuine. "I think you'd better sit down, all of you." She waited until they did, then took a deep breath. "I know who you are." 

Glances flew between them. 

"What do you mean?" Billy asked. 

"You are the most powerful, Billy. You've been in contact with the power longest, then Tommy. Adam, Aisha, and Rocky came to it all about the same time, and Kat is the newest." How could they not know about her? 

The glances that flew were more panicked. 

"Power? What power?" Kat asked. 

"I don't know. Apparently, the one that makes the Power Rangers what they are." She squelched the frustration, wishing she knew the answer to that question. 

Tommy sighed, and Margery echoed the sigh with relief. He, at least, was taking her seriously. "How did you know?" 

Margery took a deep breath. "I read auras. Kat's is pink, which means compassionate, and Aisha's is yellow, which is idealistic. I could believe that. They fit both of you very well. Billy's aura is blue, which is believable, especially when Aisha is around. Then came Tommy. Your's is white, which is innocense. And your eyes wouldn't let me believe that. You have done things you aren't proud of. That tipped me off a little as well." 

"Wait. Why when I'm around?" Aisha asked. Margery grinned, then looked at Billy. 

"Blue is the aura color that symbolizes attraction." Aisha looked at Billy who grinned back at her. She blushed and looked back at Margery. 

"Then I came to Adam and Rocky. The first time I Looked at Rocky, you'd just lost your back pack, so I could understand that your aura was red. You were upset. The aura was just a little more vibrantly colored that I would have expected over a back pack. Then I checked you out again, yesterday after school. You were laughing, and your aura still said you was angry." She shook her head. "I couldn't believe it. I don't think I've ever seen you angry; at least, not as angry as your aura said you were. Then I Saw Adam. Your aura is black. And I haven't known you very long, but I still don't think there is a hateful bone in your body. You can't hate that much." She smiled at him, and his answering half smile made her stomach flutter worse than before. Great! It did not, however, distract her from the regret and guilt in his eyes. Odd. She had to force herself away from that puzzle, as much as it - and he - attracted her. "Not to mention, Billy, that you absolutely reek of power. That's why I fainted that first day. I was just glad that Rocky wasn't as strong as you are, or it might have happened again. That would have been embarrassing." 

She paused. "Then, yesterday afternoon, I happened to catch sight of the Power Rangers. It took me a minute to realize that they wore your auras on the outside, or you their colors on the inside. Or, your auras are the physical manifestation of your powers. I can't tell." She took a deep breath. "Also, every time you do something as the Power Rangers, the power of it knocks me over." 

"That's why you sounded so disturbed last night," Kat said in realization. "It really did throw you off, didn't it." Maggie nodded. 

"But how do you know all of this stuff?" Rocky asked in some frustration. 

"She's Wiccan," Billy stated, and looked at her with wise blue eyes that weren't foolish at all. 

"Yes, I am." She smiled. "I thought I had stumbled onto a coven at first, but I didn't suspect 'galactic fighters for good'." Or so the papers had dubbed them. 

"Wiccan?" Kat and Aisha spoke at the same time; Aisha's voice was curious, and Kat's bordered on panic. 

"A kind of modern day witch or benevolent druid," Margery explained, wincing inwardly at how much like a dictionary it had come out. 

"What will you do now?" Tommy asked, pulling her attention and the conversation back to the problem at hand. 

"I won't tell Bulk and Skull." She spoke seriously. "I know how to keep secrets. And I understand if you find uncomfortable being around me. I decided to tell you because I want to remain your friend. I thought that if I were in your position, I'd rather know that someone knew my secret. I will understand now why you have to leave in the middle of conversations, and you don't have to make up excuses." 

Glances flew again, and Tommy stood. "We need to talk about this." The others scrambled to their feet. 

"Oh, go ahead. Do you want...." She paused. "With the 'old friend'?" 

"Yes," Adam said. 

"Oh. Um... I can start for home, then? Aisha has my phone number; one of you can call me." She stood in a smooth movement that surprised her. "If not I'll see you tomorrow maybe." 

"Thank you," Aisha smiled, and touched her shoulder. Then, they all touched their watches, and disappeared. The backlash knocked her off her feet. Teleportation. Oh, why not? It certainly explained why Adam had disappeared so quickly the day he'd shown her this clearing. He wasn't that fast a runner. 

"Well, that explains what that is all about," she muttered, picked herself up, and turned to go home. I've got to talk to Kat, she thought as she left the clearing. She sighed and started walking, feeling a little less sure of herself.

  


The next morning, she arrived at school without having slept. No one had called her the night before, and after midnight she'd given up and had spent the night doing homework, and in some cases, working ahead. She didn't go to her locker; she went straight to Ernie's for a juice. Therefore, she didn't see anyone until lunch, when Adam sat next to her at the table she had found at Ernie's. "Hi. Didn't see you this morning," he said. 

She gave him a half smile, a fair copy of his own. "Nerves, I guess." 

He nodded. "Sorry about last night. It was a long discussion." He looked decidedly uncomfortable. 

"Really?" she asked. 

He looked at her and smiled, but before she could even yell silently at the butterflies in her stomach, the others joined her. 

"Sorry we didn't get a chance to talk to you last night," Tommy started. "We got in late." Margery nodded. 

"Some of us got in trouble," Rocky added with a grimace, and winked at Maggie. It cheered her a little. 

Tommy scowled at him, and continued. "We have had this kind of situation before, so we have some idea of how to handle it." He glanced over at Adam, Aisha and Rocky, then back to her. "Our friend is doing a..." 

"Background check," Billy supplied when Tommy paused. "Although what it might mean if you aren't ...." He shook his head. 

"What Billy means is, our friend has very high standards. You are right; I have been and done things I am ashamed of. But I am still a part of this group," Tommy said. "While you may never be, you know. Nothing can be done about that." 

"But first, you were our friend," Adam said, and the butterflies started their dance again. "We don't lose friends if we can help it. Just be aware that it could get hard to hold a conversation with one of us." Margery chuckled. 

"If it's a choice between Zedd and not having a conversation, I'll choose to not have the conversation. His monsters scare me." 

"They scare me," Kat said softly, grinning at her. "Then we beat them, and I sleep very well at night." 

Margery grinned. "I hope I am never in your position." Then she Knew she would be, and paled. Instances went by in her Foresight, too fast to count and to know, but there they were. A werewolf, a vampire - cop? - and others she couldn't concentrate on. 

"Maggie? Are you okay?" Aisha's voice broke the spell, and she gasped in a breath. She found herself clutching the table in some panic, and made herself let go. "What happened?" 

"Oh, just something that happens sometimes." Her voice did not sound normal, but she wasn't surprised. Her telemetry was weak, at best, and these images had been overwhelming. For the first time. "I will be in your position. Only I get to fight the supernatural. And I may never sleep well at night again." The image of the werewolf's gaping jaws still held her spellbound, the image so clear when she usually could only see shadow. She had never been so scared by a vision. She reached out for anyone, any of them, and the now-familiar shock of the power, shaded in black, broke the last of the trance. She smiled at Adam and let his hand go. "Thanks." She got to her feet unsteadily. "I think I need to get outside. Excuse me a minute." She walked somewhat unsteadily out the door. 

Finding a bench outside, she sank down gratefully, trying to put her thoughts in order. She would have to call Tabitha and see if she wanted to join her on this. She had always wanted adventure. Maggie focused on the large tree across the street, drawing in the strength, the permanency, and the calm it exuded until her breathing calmed. Feeling a little more steady, now, she got up and went back into the juice bar.

  


She cornered Kat after school the next day, just outside the school. The blonde looked at her warily. "I know what you are," Margery said quietly, looping her arm through Kat's and walking towards the park. 

Kat looked at her with wide, frightened eyes. "I know you do." 

Margery grinned, finally able to let her mirth show. "Do they know how ironic your name is?" 

Kat blinked, startled. "Aisha does, and so does Kim. She's gone now." 

"How did they find out?" 

"I was ... a ..." She paused. "I was under a spell of evil and sabotaged ... them." 

"Oh. So they think..." 

She smiled. "They think it was Rita and Zedd's doing. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Rita and Zedd think it was them, too." 

"Isn't that funny." They shared a smile. "Does this 'old friend' know?" 

"Yes. He... had to, actually." She looked down. "The whole situation was horrid." 

"I can imagine," Maggie said softly, then tried to find something a little less depressing for her friend to talk about. "I have a friend like you. I met her exactly the same way I met you." 

"Reading her aura?" 

"No. My locker was right by hers. She'll get a kick out of this." Margery paused. "If I tell her. She understands about secrets, too." 

Kat laughed. "Yes, I imagine she does." She thought a minute. "I think I would like to meet your friend, if I could. It is rather lonely; there aren't many of us here." 

"No, there aren't." Maggie grinned. "I'll write her tonight."

  


"What do you mean, moving?" Margery demanded three days later. "You promised! I'm a senior this year, you promised I'd be able to finish this year in one school! It's already been two, in three months!" She faced her father across the living room, furious. How could he do this to her? 

"Maggie, I know I did. But this place is dangerous. There are fights in the streets, not just kids, but huge monsters!" 

"No one is ever hurt," she shot back. Which was pretty amazing, considering. She made a mental note to thank the Lady that evening. "I just made a bunch of really good friends. There's even a guy I want to date!" Never mind that he was practically too shy to even look at her, but her father didn't need to know that. "And now you want me to just pick up and leave? This is it. You go, if you really want. I'm staying here." It rang true, truer than anything she'd ever said, and she blinked. Somehow, she was going to be able to stay. At least for a while. The werewolf wasn't here, nor the vampire, but for now, she was going to be able to stay. 

"Date?" her father interrupted her thoughts. "There's someone here you want to date?" 

Margery calmed herself down. "Yes. I have friends to go to the mall with, and a couple of guys to hang around, and yes, one I'd like to get to know better." 

Her father laughed. "Really. You finally found someone you were interested in?" 

Margery scowled. "And how long have we stayed in one place so I could get interested in someone?" she snapped. "Never mind, don't answer that. I have homework." She turned to walk away, then turned back, feeling rather like she'd picked on him a lot. "I'm sorry, Dad. I know it's hard. And thanks for letting us stay here." 

He smiled at her. "I haven't said we are." 

She smiled back. "I know. But I am." She started up the stairs, and actually made it to her room before she heard anything from her dad. "Maybe," she mused, pulled her calculus book out of her backpack, "maybe I should have put my foot down before. On the other hand, I wouldn't have moved here." She chuckled at the irony, and began to study.

  
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	4. "I Get the Joy of Rediscovering You" - J...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

"I Get the Joy of Rediscovering You"  
Journey, _Faithfully_

  


The next few days were quiet. Then, without warning, all everything went nuts. Maggie spent the whole time in bed, or at least at home, her sense of time and of imbalance shrieking loud enough to break her eardrums if it had been vocal. She was barely aware that she was eight years old again. As it was, she had migraines that kept her down, and often completely out. Then, suddenly, it was over. The imbalance balanced again so abruptly that the absence of pain was almost as bad as the headaches - but only for an instant. 

The next morning, there was a new girl at school. She was African American, taller than Aisha. In fact, she was taller than Maggie. Kat introduced her as Tanya. To Margery's surprise, she had power as well, but a different kind than the others. It was, however, the same color as Aisha's had been, just newer. She looked in some surprise at Kat, who smiled. "There have been some changes," she said. Maggie nodded. 

"I guess. Nice to meet you, and welcome to Angel Grove." She turned to Kat. "Where are Adam and the others?" 

"We're meeting them in the juice bar," Kat grinned. "Want to come?" 

Maggie nodded. "Definitely." She let Kat and Tanya go ahead, trailing behind them. When they reached the juice bar, she sank down next to Rocky and touched his arm, intending to ask where Aisha and Adam were. The power he held nearly overwhelmed her, as if they'd gotten recharged, and it had the same strange difference as Tanya's did. So that change had gone through the whole group. "Whoa, Rock. Where you been?" she asked. He smiled at her, confused. 

"What?" 

She shook her head, then jumped as someone touched her shoulder. She turned to look at Adam, who smiled at her. He was changed, too, of course. There was one of the two she was looking for, at least. 

"Hi. How are you?" 

"I had the weirdest couple of weeks," she said to cover her surprise. "My sense of time was so totally screwed, it gave me migraines, and I think I was young again. Did something happen?" She Looked at him, and her eyes widened. Her head snapped around to take in Kat, Rocky and Tommy, then she Looked at Billy and got the shock of her life. "What happened to you guys?" she demanded in a whisper, holding Adam's arm for fear of falling off her chair. "Billy?" 

His signature of power was gone; his aura, still slightly tainted blue, Read like everyone else's, as long as they weren't a Power Ranger. It showed he was slightly depressed, although what about she wasn't sure yet. And the change she'd felt in Rocky hadn't necessarily been all of the change in power, she realized; it was a completely different color. Same with Adam. 

"Let's go to the park," Tommy said, taking charge of the little group as he usually did. They all stood up and followed him out. Once there, they found a secluded part of the park, and sat down in a circle. By the time they got there, Maggie had calmed down a little, but was still casting Glances at her friends, trying to figure out what had happened. "I take it you can tell Billy has no powers?" Tommy asked. 

Tanya's head snapped around, eyes wide with shock, and Maggie turned a little slower to look at him. "Yes. And you're red, Rocky's blue, and Adam's green? There wasn't even green before." She must have sounded hysterical, because both Adam and Rocky tried to calm her down, and Kat looked at her, concerned, from her spot across the circle. "What happened? It happened during that weird time thing, didn't it." 

"How does she know all this?" Tanya finally demanded as Maggie pulled her arms from Rocky and Adam. 

"Don't. You're too strong. This power is strong. There's more of it." She wasn't making sense, and she knew it, but the disorientation wasn't gone from the imbalance, and this change had her completely confused, both in the power and in the team. She didn't realize anyone had moved until Billy knelt by her and touched her shoulder. "Where's Aisha?" she finally asked, and felt tears in her eyes. 

He took a deep breath. "She's in Africa. We... They went on a quest, and Tanya returned in Aisha's place. Most people don't remember her, because of the time distortion. There are two time lines... You, and we, are the only people who remember it as it happened." He was sad, she could feel the pain in him. 

"Is... Is she coming back?" Tanya took Aisha's place? Wait, this is so confusing.... 

"I don't know. I don't think so, not any time soon," he answered. She heard Tommy tell Adam and Rocky to explain to Tanya what was going on, then she heard nothing as she burst into tears and sobbed on Billy's shoulder. 

"Is there anything we can do to help?" she heard Kat's soft accents as the hysterics began to fade. 

"I don't know." She heard it through his chest, and became aware that they'd been talking for a while. She just hadn't heard anything anyone had said. 

"I just...." she took a gasp for breath, keeping her face buried on Billy's shoulder. "I just have to adjust to you again." She laughed a little. "That, at least is a good thing. It means I'm still staying." 

"Still staying?" Tanya's voice wasn't as hard, but still distrustful. Maggie sat up, giving Billy a kiss on the cheek in thanks, and turned to her. Adam stood behind Tanya, his hands in his pockets. He dressed differently now, hiding his body under baggy clothes, as if he were ashamed of it. Either that, or it made it easier to move in a fight. Still, she was going to miss those white t-shirts. Her face flamed at the thought. 

"How much exactly did you tell her?" 

"Not much," Tanya answered with a glance up at Adam, then over at Rocky, who stood against a nearby tree. Maggie's eyes followed hers and noticed that Rocky was grinning a little too widely. He winked at her; Maggie scowled briefly at him. 

"Okay. The beginning. I'm Wiccan. Did they cover that?" Maybe this would help her calm down, she didn't know, but at least it would be a chance. 

She looked confused. "No." 

"Well, I am, and that explains a lot." And she proceeded to explain how she had found out about them, leaving out the "extra" she knew about Kat. 

"Which is why you looked at them and went pale," Tanya concluded. She had relaxed a little as Maggie told her story. And Maggie found that she calmed down as well. 

"Did I?" she asked. "It was something of a shock, I guess." Does that mean that their old colors will be with them, too? Like Billy's? Why can't I feel them? Is it just because the new powers are so much more powerful? 

Tommy glanced at his watch. "Um, guys, we're really late for class," he said, and pulled Kat to her feet. 

"It's not like they'll notice anything different from you," she said with a smile, and kissed his cheek. 

"I've gotten better," he protested. 

Rocky cleared his throat. "Okay, maybe a little," he said at a glare from Tommy, and grinned, unrepentant. 

"I guess we'd better run?" Maggie asked, and they all took off. Yes, she decided, she was definitely going to miss those white t-shirts. 

  


Maggie slammed her geometry book closed in frustration. Three times having the beginning of this class, and suddenly she'd hit a brick wall - the next section. She had no idea how to even begin. She looked at the book for a minute, then reached for the phone. Someone should be able to help her. 

"Hi, Billy? Any chance you can help me out?" 

"I'll try," he said quietly. 

"I've just hit a brick wall in geometry. Would you be willing to tutor me?" 

There was a long silence. "I tried to help Tommy with his, and it didn't work out so well," Billy said after a minute. "He's been getting help from Adam. Maybe you should try him." 

"But why didn't it work out?" 

There was silence again. "I think, because I understood it. I can't explain something I get the first time, I have no way of explaining it differently." 

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." 

"Do you have Adam's number?" 

"No, I don't. Will you give it to me?" Good, Maggie, casual. She actually hadn't gotten it yet; she'd never had a reason to talk to him. She wrote it down, said good bye and hung up, only to stare at the phone for a long while before getting up the courage to call. 

"Hi, may I speak to Adam?" 

"Speaking." 

Her throat closed up, and she cleared it. "Sorry. This is Maggie. Billy said you were a pretty good geometry tutor?" Her butterflies were going insane in her stomach, and she was about ready to drink poison just to get them to stop. 

"I guess... Tommy seems to be doing better," he said. 

"Um, could you handle someone else to tutor?" 

There was silence at the other end. She'd thought they were bad before! "Sure, I guess. When do you need help?" 

"Actually, right now, there's an assignment due on Monday, and I'm so lost, I've been trying to get it all afternoon." It came out in a rush. "I mean, tomorrow will be soon enough, but...." 

"No, I'm free. Want to meet in the park, your house, mine, or the library?" 

He's free? On a Friday? How often is he free on a Friday night? "The park? in the clearing you showed me?" 

"Can you be there in fifteen minutes?" 

I can be there in five, she thought to herself excitedly. "Yeah. Thanks, Adam. I really appreciate this." 

"Sure. See you there." 

She hung up, threw her books in her backpack, and ran down the stairs. "Going to the park for a study session!" she called to her dad as she passed the kitchen. "I'll be back before too late, and if it does get dark, I'll have him walk me home." 

"Have a good time." The answer wasn't as absent-minded as he made it sound; he looked up and smiled at her before she left the kitchen doorway and flew out the front door. "Him?" she heard faintly as the door closed behind her. 

The walk was nice, and she was there before he was, just as she'd planned. She sat in the center of the clearing, put her hands flat on the ground, and concentrated on calm, wanting to be relaxed when he showed up. 

"You must live closer than I do," he said behind her, then sank down on the ground next to her. She smiled at him, completely masking the butterflies dancing in her stomach. At least, she hoped she was. 

"Probably. I love this place." She gestured around the clearing. "There's a closeness here that isn't found in many places." She shook her head. "Sorry. Let's get this done so you have a real Friday night." She grabbed her back pack and pulled her books from it, glancing at him once to see his response. 

He shrugged. "This is as real as it gets. As long as it's not interrupted." He leaned towards her. "So far, Mondo's been quiet in comparison, but don't tell him I said that." 

Maggie laughed. "I don't think I'll have the opportunity." She opened her book. 

"Hey." He touched her hand, and she looked at him in surprise. "If my watch goes off, you get out of here, okay? Go home. You'll be safer there." 

She smiled. "Okay." 

"So, tell me what's the problem." 

The next few weeks were interesting, to say the least. She still hung out with them, and noticed the definite attraction Adam had to Tanya. She was glad; he seemed to be making an attempt to come out of his shell around her. 

"Do you like Tanya?" he asked her one afternoon at a tutoring session. Maggie looked at him in surprise. 

"She's okay. I wish Aisha had come back, but Tanya's okay, as far as that goes." She paused. "She has this thing for yellow, which I just don't like...." Maggie grinned. "Okay, okay, so she can't help it," she said as he opened his mouth. "And so far her taste in boyfriends has been really bad." 

"Yeah," he said, deflated. "You don't like yellow?" 

She shook her head. "It's just not my thing. My friend Tabitha looks smashing in it, and since our coloring is close, I'd probably look okay, but it's not a color I'd choose to wear. I think Tanya looks great in it. So did Aisha." 

"Yeah." If it hadn't been so short, Maggie would have said the word was full of wishful dreams. She went back to her homework. "You know," he said after a minute, and Maggie looked up again. "I can't see you in yellow." The look on his face was one she didn't recognize. 

"Is that good or bad?" she asked. 

"Good, I think." 

"Why?" 

"Because I have bad luck with yellow." 

Does he know what he just said? Maggie thought to herself, then watched the flush cover his cheeks. Yes, he did. She went back to her studying. "You miss Aisha, too?" she asked after a minute. 

He sighed. "Yeah. We were friends for a long time. We were actually a trio from the beginning. I never really imagined finishing school without both of them here." 

She glanced up; he looked downright depressed. Hoping she didn't regret it, she reached over and touched his hand. "I wish I had been able to have friends like you did," she smiled. "You are very lucky." 

He gave her a half smile that sent her currently-quiet butterflies into fits, and she stifled a sigh. "Thanks," he said softly. She reluctantly took her hand back and went back to studying. Unfortunately, she knew she was more lost than ever. And she wasn't talking about the geometry. 

The next session they had was interrupted by the familiar six tone beep. They were at the library, so Adam gave her an apologetic grin, grabbed his books, and headed out the door. Maggie waited for the familiar wave of power that usually signaled their teleporting, and it never came. She realized then that she hadn't felt them do anything for a while; it was as if their powers weren't in the realm of magic anymore. She waited until he came back to ask him about it. 

"I thought you'd be gone," he said softly, interrupting her as she tried to understand the whole concept. It just wasn't working. 

"I still need help. And I had a question." 

He looked apologetic. "I have to get home, but I think we live in the same general area. You can ask me while we walk." 

"Okay." She gathered her books, realizing she had more than one question, both of which vied for her attention as they walked out of the library. "I can't feel you guys any more," she blurted suddenly as they crossed a street towards the park. 

He looked at her in surprise. "Feel us?" 

"Yeah. You used to knock me over whenever you teleported, or morphed, I think. But I can't tell that anymore. I just realized it today. I know you had to do one or the other, but I didn't feel anything." 

"Oh." He pondered that for a minute. "I'm not sure I can answer that question. We aren't powered by the morphin' grid anymore, though. It's crystals. Well, a crystal." 

Her forehead wrinkled. "From earth?" 

He laughed. "Is anything we do from earth?" he asked, and she wasn't sure if he was looking for an answer or not. 

"I don't know. You obviously take care of her, and guard her, so I would think so...." She shrugged. "I guess it really doesn't matter. What matters is that you guard her." 

"Her?" He gave her a half grin. 

"The earth. Mother Earth, I guess you could say. Well, I would, and obviously do..." she trailed off, a little embarrassed. "Anyway, I just thought it was interesting, that you are out of the realm of magic as I know it." 

He nodded. "It is interesting." They walked on in silence until they had to split up at the other edge of the park. 

Nothing much changed until Tanya broke up with her boyfriend. He was the captain of the baseball team, and someone Maggie didn't like much. It happened at the end of a baseball game Angel Grove barely won, Tanya's first time pitching. Maggie hadn't heard the words between them, but the look on Tanya's face, as well as Adam's, did not bode well for Sean if he stayed around. Sean left pretty quickly, so nothing happened, and Maggie never asked what had been said. She didn't think she wanted to know that badly. And after that, Adam and Tanya were almost inseparable. Ah, well, it's not meant to be, she thought one night when her thoughts had strayed. It was disappointing. But the response she got was not a definite one, and she had to think on that, during her next ceremony.


	5. "Tell Me Why You've Chosen Me" - Metalli...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

"Tell Me Why You've Chosen Me"  
Metallica, _Until It Sleeps_

  


The whole idea of Tanya taking Aisha's place on the team became more and more disturbing, especially the reasoning her friend had followed. Every time Maggie tried to think of a way to ask, though, it just didn't work, and it had skipped her mind while she was being tutored. That had ended when Adam and Tanya became a couple; Tanya never seemed to like it. Maggie was getting frustrated about the whole situation. 

Finally, one day, she found Adam by himself just outside the library, obviously waiting for someone. She could only guess it was Tanya. "Can I talk to you?" she asked. 

He looked at her and smiled, sending her butterflies into flurries. "Sure. What's up?" 

"I had a question, actually. How did Tanya take Aisha's place?" 

"Why?" 

"I don't know. Confused, I guess. Is it normal?" 

He looked pensive for a moment, then gestured at the table near them. "Let's sit down." She followed him over and sat across from him. She wanted to sit closer, but Tanya was becoming a friend, and Maggie didn't want to ruin that. She also didn't want to make trouble for Adam. "Aisha, Rocky and I weren't the first, either. Those three went to Switzerland to the Peace Conference. And Kat took Kim's place when she went to Florida to train for the Pan Global games." 

Maggie blinked in surprise. "You...." It was like her mind stopped functioning. 

Adam laughed. "You should see your face." 

She smiled. "I can only imagine. They just arbitrarily chose you?" 

He shook his head. "No. Nothing arbitrary about it. We were...." He paused, then began to tell her the story of how they had met the Rangers. About the time he got to where they'd discovered the identities of their new friends, Tanya joined them, sitting next to Adam and throwing an arm around his shoulders. 

"Hey," she grinned. 

"Hi." He hugged her back, and Maggie sighed softly. He really liked her, that was obvious. 

"Well, I know you guys have plans. We can finish this up later, okay?" she asked, standing and throwing her backpack over one shoulder. 

"You don't mind?" Adam asked. Maggie shook her head. 

"Nope. You guys have fun. I'll talk to you later." She turned away, catching Tanya's softly asked question about their conversation. She sounded just a touch jealous.

  


A couple of days later, passing by the library again, she found Tanya, probably waiting for Adam. She smiled to herself at the irony. "Hey, can I talk to you?" 

Tanya looked up, surprised, and smiled. "Sure." 

Maggie paused, gathering her thoughts. "What did Aisha say?" 

Tanya regarded her for a couple of seconds, then gestured at the same table Adam had. "Let's sit down." Once comfortable, Tanya eyed her again. "She was concerned with the animals, mostly. She knew she could help them, and wanted to...." She paused. "We didn't have a lot of time to talk, really. You guys were good friends?" 

"Not as good as she was with Adam and Rocky, but yeah, we were friends. I was kind of surprised.... Well, I guess you knew that. So, her choosing you wasn't arbitrary either, was it." 

"I'm not sure. It may have been because I was the one who was there." 

"But you said yes. And from what I understood, they really didn't meet anyone they weren't supposed to." The Lady must have had a hand in that. She suddenly, irrationally, wanted to meet the being who had put the team together and ask if it knew the Lady or if they were just working together anonymously. 

"Good point," Tanya said, musing. "There really wasn't much time for any messages. She knew it was urgent that someone get back, and felt it was my calling. So I came. I'm glad, too. This has been amazing." 

Maggie laughed. "Oh, I bet. Talk about culture shock.... I had culture shock when we moved here. It's so different." 

Tanya laughed. "That's true, for sure." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Would you have taken her place?" 

Maggie stared at her. "She didn't ask me," she said distantly, then shrugged. "It would depend.... No. I couldn't. I have other... previous commitments." 

"Like what?" Tanya asked, then Maggie saw Adam approaching and grinned. Saved by the bell, so to speak. 

"Adam's on his way, and I've got homework. You guys have a great afternoon, and I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Bye," Tanya said. Maggie waved at Adam as she turned to leave; he smiled and waved back. I don't know what the other commitments are, she thought to herself as she walked out the door. Only that I have them.

  


The next afternoon she found Adam in her clearing; it had become a habit to go there to do her homework, and she actually didn't think anyone knew it. He gave her a half smile as he looked up at her. "Hi," she grinned, and sank down facing him. 

"Hi. How's your geometry coming?" 

She shrugged. "Better." Not as good as when you were tutoring me, but better... 

"Still interested in knowing about how we were... chosen?" he asked, choosing his words carefully. 

"Definitely," she grinned. 

He continued the story, then, how Billy was being attacked by the snake of evil, and how they'd found out, how they'd helped, and then, when the others had gone to the Peace Conference, he and the other two had taken their place. "It's weird," he said softly, his hand over the communicator on his wrist. "It's like... I don't know how to explain it. I guess I understand, a little, anyway, how all the comic book heros feel." He laughed. "Rocky has sworn off his Batman comic book collection. I know he still collects them, but he hasn't read them since the second battle we had. It was like deja vu, or something." He chuckled. 

"So, what about Kat?" 

He thought a minute. "Her beginning was a lot like what I've heard Tommy's was. Rita had her under a spell." 

"Spell?" Maggie perked up. 

"Yeah, Tommy, too, which is probably why they get along so well." 

"Rita used magick?" 

"Not the same as yours, I don't think, from what I remember Matt talking about." 

"Matt?" 

"A friend of mine in Stone Canyon was studying Wicca. I don't know how seriously, but he was at one point looking into joining a coven." 

"Wow. You have some weird friends," she teased with a smile. 

"Yeah. So do you." He matched her smile with one of his own. She wished distantly that the butterflies in her stomach would just stop.

  


She had to search Kat out the next Saturday, and finally found her at the juice bar, watching Tommy teach his Karate class. She sat next to the tall blonde and smiled. "What is it about a man who can beat you senseless and has the control not to?" she asked softly. 

Kat grinned back. "The absolute power implied," she said, and gestured at Tommy. "Have you ever just sat and watched a tiger pace?" 

"Yeah." Maggie sighed. "It was beautiful. And this was a big one, too. She didn't seem angry or anxious, just bored." She laughed. "After a few minutes, though, she stared back at me. That was weird. I was just as bored, so I paced a bit for her, then we paced together. Apparently, we gave quite a show." 

"You like cats." 

"So far, most of my best friends have been cats. That's all that has been really constant in my life. My dad is willing to put up with just about anything having to do with cats, as long as there's only one. I don't have one now; my last kitten had leukemia and we had to put her to sleep. The doctor said she wouldn't feel anything, but I made him let me watch. I wanted to be sure she didn't feel anything." She sighed, feeling lonely and content at the same time. "Then I took her and buried her in the woods I'd found her in. I think she liked it." 

When she looked up, Kat was staring at her. "You really do like cats." 

"Yes, and I have questions for the one in front of me," she grinned. "I was talking to Adam about Aisha, and the whole idea of inheritance," she started. "He said you were an heir." 

Kat looked startled. "Yeah, I guess I am," she said after a minute of reflection. "That's one way to put it." 

"He also said you were put under a spell." 

Kat nodded. "Yes." 

Maggie made a face. "You said that, too, didn't you." She thought a minute. "Adam said he didn't think it was the same kind of magick as I practice. Which I can believe, actually, since I'd never want to make someone what they weren't. I'll help them change, but that's something else." 

"Is it?" 

Maggie nodded. "Definitely. It's a case of... asking help of the Goddess, the Lady of Light, like you'd ask your father, or... or you old friend to help you." She touched the pink banded communicator on Kat's wrist. "She will help, but you must be willing to do your part." And perhaps I ought to ask for help in dealing with Tanya. 

Kat didn't look convinced. Maggie smiled at her. "I promise that I will never cast a spell even in your direction without your consent," she said. 

"Okay," Kat said, but still looked disturbed. 

An idea struck Maggie. "Did this... Rita have any success against the Rangers?" 

She shook her head. "Not really. I mean, she came up with some devastating stuff, but they could usually take it out pretty easily." 

Maggie nodded and grinned. "There's a thing called a threefold law in Wicca. It basically says 'what goes around comes around, multiplied threefold'. I think Rita was her own worst enemy." 

Kat stared at her, then giggled. "Oh, man... can I share that idea? I don't know if anyone else will believe it, but it's something that will make us all laugh." 

"Go ahead," Maggie grinned. "But remember, that's part of why I won't try to cast a spell on anyone, like Rita did. I don't want the bad Karma." 

Kat laughed, looking much more at ease. "All right," she said. "I think I understand."


	6. "A Breath of Confidence and Self Control...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

"A Breath of Confidence and Self Control"  
Dream Theater, _Learning to Live_

  


She retreated to a cabin just after Christmas, and ended up staying there three weeks after school started. Her father seemed to understand. He called her in sick and picked up her homework. She began to realize what it was the Lady wanted of her. She spent one day in meditation, one day recovering, and one day doing schoolwork, trying to keep up as she learned about what it was she had to do. Not a lot of it made sense, but she also began to understand her mother a little, and her father began to understand, too, she felt, as he watched her go through what could best be explained as an intensive training period. And then, one day, as much a surprise to him as to her, it was over. She knew it was time, at least for now, to finish school. 

She was glad when she got home, ready to turn in all her assignments and find her friends. She thought she saw Adam almost as soon as she got to school, but she hadn't gotten used to him in baggy clothes or in green, and whoever it was had wavy hair longer than Adam wore his. So she ignored him until she heard the familiar six-toned beep, and he turned to check out the hall. Yes, Adam, looking very different with long hair. She raised an eyebrow at him when he caught her eye, and he smiled brightly. Then he looked down cast as his communicator beeped again. Was he smiling because of her? she wondered. 

"I'll be right here," she mouthed, and leaned casually against her locker. He nodded and ran out. Still nothing on the power thing, she thought, pretty certain he'd already teleported out of the area. She shrugged, trying not to let it bother her as it had before the break, then began digging in her locker for a novel she'd wanted to finish and had accidently left at the school over Christmas. 

She'd just found the book when someone grabbed her in a hug from behind and spun her around to face the others. From the feel of the power, it was Rocky, and her inventory of her friends confirmed the suspicion. There was one more, a stocky, well built boy in black and gold, and one less. "Are you feeling okay?" Kat asked, reaching out to hug her. 

"Much better, thank you. I don't even know what it was. Luckily, they'll work with you here, or I might have had to stay for summer school." She glanced shyly at Adam, who stood between Tommy and Tanya. He was smiling more than she'd ever seen him, and her heart leaped. Could it be because of her? "Where's Billy?" 

Tanya laughed, and gave her a hug. "You and your questions. Let's meet after school - this is something we can't exactly discuss here." 

Maggie chuckled. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." 

They met after school, and that boy in black looked at her, a little wary. "Hi," she grinned. "I'm Maggie." 

"Jason." He extended his hand; she shook it, then snatched her hand away and Looked at him. His aura had a touch of red in it, but the gold that was prominent flared and jumped around so much, she wondered that he could stand it. Other than that, he looked healthy enough. Although, with his aura that erratic, he wouldn't be for long. 

"Let's go to the park," Tommy suggested, and they all headed in that direction. 

"Bro, what are you going to tell her?" she heard Jason ask. Tommy laughed. 

"Don't worry." 

When they reached the park, and her clearing, they sat down in circle. "So, where's Billy?" Maggie asked. She was beginning to feel like a broken record player. 

Tommy, grinning wildly, hooked a thumb at Jason. "What does he Look like?" he asked. 

Maggie grinned. "A little bit red - Rocky got his power from you originally? - with lots of gold, but it's really jumpy, like...." 

"How did you know that?" Jason demanded, interrupting her. Rocky grinned and nodded when she looked his way. 

"I'm Wiccan. I read Auras." 

"We looked just like that," Kat told him, and Rocky hit him in the shoulder. 

"At least you got some sort of a warning," he said. 

"So, are you going to tell me where Billy went?" Maggie asked, looking expectantly at Tommy. 

The explanation, that Billy had been suffering side effects from the time distortion, surprised her. "He's where?" she asked in a whispered yell, which caused Rocky and Kat to break into giggles. Jason was still stunned, staring at her. 

"Aquitar. That's what you missed during that time distortion, when you were down with the migraines. A whole different set of rangers, us as kids, and other fantastical monsters. Pretty weird," Tommy grinned. 

"Like a whole 'nother planet?" 

"Yes," Tanya grinned. "A whole different planet." 

"Not fair! Can he get visitors?" She grinned and shook her head. "Man. Amazing. Trust me, I would rather have not had the migraines. They are not fun." She sighed. "So, what other changes are there?" 

"None, really," Kat said with a smile that indicated otherwise. 

"Well, that's good." Maggie leaned back on her hands. They separated a while after that, and Maggie was surprised to see that Adam and Tanya didn't go off together. Kat, after a short walk and talk with Tommy and Jason, returned to where she sat and smiled as she joined her on the ground. 

"I thought you'd want to know. Tanya said something to Adam, I think. She's not interested in him any more." 

"I wondered. Is he okay with it?" 

"He seems to be." Kat shrugged, and leaned closer, even though they were alone. "I don't really understand humans much. It's so much easier for me." She leaned back, basking in the sunlight. "He worried about you a lot. Are you okay?" 

Maggie sighed. "I wasn't really sick. I had to... find some things out, sort some things out. I guess I had to find out what I was getting myself into. Or rather, the Lady decided it was time I had more of a clue as to what I was getting myself into. I didn't mean to deceive you all." She shook her head. "It's really confusing, and I'm still going to be sorting it out in my head for a while." 

"That bad, eh?" 

"Oh, yeah. Remember that... spell I had just after I'd told you guys I knew who you were?" Kat nodded. "It has to do with that. And now that I know that, there's this urgency to get out.... I know She'll wait until I've graduated, but I don't know if I'll even be here for graduation. I'll have to see." She shrugged. And just after I get the good news.... It was almost enough to make her want to cry. 

"What will you do then?" 

"I don't know." Maggie laughed. "Not only are humans completely off their rockers, but Wicca are even worse." And I'm one of the _really_ weird ones, she thought to herself. 

"So, what are you going to do about Adam?" 

"I don't know. I don't know if I should do anything about him. I mean, he has his own destiny; I can't really expect him to wait for mine to finish with me." 

Kat tilted her head, cat-like. "He couldn't go with you?" 

Maggie smiled. "We're talking werewolves just about eating my face off. I can risk me, but not him. Besides, he has responsibilities here." 

"Werewolves?" Kat's eyes widened. "You're kidding." 

"Nope. That's the impression I got, anyway. It might have been a real wolf, but I don't think so." She grinned. "There's a vampire, too, and a few other things I don't really want to recognize. It wasn't pretty." 

"You were pale. I imagine it wasn't." She smiled. 

Maggie laughed suddenly. "Wait a minute. You're a were-cat, and you doubt the existence of werewolves?" 

"No, I don't doubt them, I just... didn't think they really did exist." 

"That's the same thing, Kat," Maggie grinned. 

She shrugged, then nudged Maggie. "So?" she asked, bringing the conversation back to Adam. 

Maggie sighed. "Like I said, he has responsibilities here. Besides, I can't ask him to abandon you guys - I can't imagine it's easy to find a replacement." 

"I don't know," Kat mused. "I haven't had to, yet." She looked at Maggie, eyes sparkling. "Do you like pink?" 

Maggie's eyes widened. "No, no, you look smashing in it, and my plate is so full already, but thank you." She stumbled over the words. The thought of doing what they did made her stomach twist painfully. 

Kat laughed, and Maggie could only imagine what her face looked like. "That wasn't nice," she said, relaxing after a minute. 

"No, but I had fun." Kat chuckled, then turned semi-serious. "So, about Adam...." 

"What about Adam?" he asked, and both girls jumped. 

Maggie looked up at him, squinting in the bright sunlight, and wondered how he'd managed to sneak up on both of them. "Kat tells me you and Tanya are.... apart." 

His face fell slightly, and he nodded. "Well, if we were ever together, we aren't now." He shrugged. "Mind if I join you?" 

Kat grinned. "I have to go. I promised Tommy I'd meet him at the juice bar, where he's likely trying to beat Jason to a pulp. Talk to you later?" 

"Definitely," Maggie told her, and the leggy blonde stood and jogged off across the park. Adam plopped down in her place. The whole group seemed to conspire to leave her alone with him. 

Maybe it was just her imagination. 

"What were you talking about?" 

Maggie grinned. "You and Tanya. And what I'm going to do after Graduation." Or before, she added mentally. 

"So, what are you going to do?" 

"I have no idea. Buy a car, for sure." She leaned back, basking in the sun much the way Kat had just minutes before. "What about you?" 

"I'm looking around for something to do. I don't know what, yet, but I'll find something." 

"I can't wait to hear about it," she murmured. 

"Why? You leaving?" Maggie couldn't identify the tone in his voice. 

"I don't know. Maybe." She looked at him, then sighed. She couldn't lie to him, to any of them, really, but definitely not to him. She couldn't have said why. "Yes. I don't know where I'm going, or how long I'll be gone, or even how soon. I don't think I'll be walking with you guys." 

"At graduation?" He sounded disappointed. She shook her head. "Why?" 

"She's getting impatient. She needs help, now, and I'm the one She wants." 

He nodded. "This has something to do with that day in the juice center, right? Just after you told us you knew who we were." She nodded. "What did you see?" 

"A lot of really scary stuff." She shook her head. "Nothing I want to think about now. I'm going to have to soon enough." And I don't want to risk the chance you'll want to come with me. He didn't respond to that, either her words or her thoughts, and they sat in a companionable silence, basking in the sunlight. 

Strangely enough, she never saw evidence that Tanya had broken up with Adam. They seemed to be together every time she saw them. Adam looked happy enough, which made Maggie happy for him. It also made her avoid them a lot more, because more often than not she had the impression that he wasn't happy at all. 

Jason was a riot, once he got used to the fact that she knew they were Rangers, and even commented once it was nice not to have to make up an excuse to take off. More than once she'd distracted his girlfriend, Emily, while he and the others had to take off and fight. It still bothered her that she couldn't track them, she'd gotten used to being able to do that, but she managed to get over it. And having someone else around who was newer than she was a nice extra. 

It wasn't long after her return when Jason got sick. Emily seemed to take it hardest. Maggie wasn't there when he staggered into the Youth Center and collapsed, but it didn't surprise her at all. She'd seen it coming. Although she never got an explanation of where those Gold powers had come from; they didn't taste quite the same as her other friends. Then he lost them, and went back to being normal, or at least as normal as the former Power Rangers ever seemed to get: Maggie never knew what he Looked like after that. He just wasn't around much. 

Graduation loomed ever closer, and Maggie began to feel the urgency to get ready to leave. She found a good car, a used green Jeep Grand Cherokee with a black interior that was in excellent condition, and began to plan what had to go with her. Every time Kat saw the Cherokee she'd burst into hysterics. Maggie understood why, but didn't comment; she did, however, blush every time Kat started laughing, and pretty soon she had Rocky grinning at her knowingly every time she drove the thing. Adam never said a word, maybe because he was rarely around, but he couldn't have missed it. Tanya simply scowled whenever the topic came up, but eventually she, too, saw the humor in the situation. It was enough to drive Maggie batty. At the same time, she was grateful for such good friends. 

She found that she had some free time, and she spent a lot of it studying up on supernatural occurrences and other weird stuff, anything she could get her hands on; her friends were involved in the Little Angels Haven shelter/orphanage, and raising money for it. The guys were involved in a tournament, and the girls were there to mentor the children. Then two things happened at the same time. The urgency to leave became overwhelming, and she couldn't find her friends.

  


"Come Make Me Miss You"  
Metallica, _Carpe Diem Baby_

  


The first thing she did was call Kat, and she was told that she had gone camping with friends. Camping? She hadn't heard anything about a camping trip; she was usually invited along. She called Tanya, Adam, and Tommy with the same response. When she called Rocky, however, she was told he'd had an accident and was in the hospital. She got the particulars on which hospital, and as soon as she hung up, got in her Cherokee and went over. 

He looked absolutely pathetic in the neck brace, and she almost started to cry. But he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Hey. How are you?" he asked softly. 

"Never mind me. How are you?" she asked, batting absently at the balloon ribbons that hung down in her face. 

"I'm fine. Or, I will be in a few weeks. The doctor said it wasn't too bad, considering." He explained what had happened. 

"Great, Rocky." She sat down in the chair next to the bed and touched his arm. "So, they all went camping without you?" Then she realized what she was Seeing. A perfectly normal Aura, if slightly red tinted and tinged with blue, almost the same as Billy's when Tanya had come from Africa. "Um. Rock." 

"You're confused, aren't you." 

"Yeah." She crinkled her eyebrows together. "How did you know?" 

"That's the only time you call me Rock. Every other time it's either Rocky or Rocko." He grinned, then winced as he tried to shrug. "And they didn't go camping. Well, maybe they are camping," he corrected himself. "They went to rescue a magician from another planet, and to keep someone from taking over the earth." He laughed lightly. "The story of our lives." 

"So it seems." She leaned back. "Who inherited your powers?" 

"A boy from the shelter, named Justin. He'll do fine. It'll be a little weird for the others to adjust to, but they'll do it." He chuckled, wincing as it jarred him. "I guess they really didn't have time to call you; they took off from here yesterday, and there isn't a phone up there. And, for all I know, they didn't have time. We usually don't." He grimaced, as if realizing the 'we' did not include him anymore. 

"Wow. You guys get a lot of excitement, I guess." 

"Yeah. Comes with the power." 

Maggie sighed in the comfortable silence that fell; Rocky was one of the ones she'd always been able to talk to. "I'm not going to be in graduation," she finally said. 

"You're not?" His eyes flickered up to meet hers. 

"No. I have to go. And if it weren't for the fact that most of my friends are missing and I really want to say good bye to them, I'd already be gone. She wanted me to go this morning." 

"You won't be able to stay for the competition?" 

"No, no, that's in a week. She'll have me chewing nails." She shrugged. "I hope she lets me stay until they get back." 

"Yeah." He eyed her for a minute. "Will you come back to Angel Grove?" 

"Definitely." It came out too fast, she could tell by the look in his eyes. 

"Why?" 

"Unfinished business." She could feel her face flushing. 

"Which is?" 

"Adam." She sighed, and covered her flaming cheeks with her hands. He'd probably already known that; Rocky was more observant than a lot of people gave him credit for. She figured that out after his first knowing smile and wink. "We never really had a chance to find out if we could be anything. I don't know if he wants to; I guess I'll find out when I get back. I don't want him to wait, though." And there's the whole Tanya issue.... 

Rocky looked up at the ceiling. "He wants to know, too. He's just had this feeling that he.... that he had to wait." His hand tapped the bed. "He goes by these feelings, too. It's wild. I can't do that." 

She nodded. "It takes practice, believe me." She tilted her head to the side. "If you'd like, I can try a healing spell on you. Would you mind?" 

He looked at her, considering, then sighed. "If you believe it would help, sure. Just," he grinned suddenly, "don't tell my mom. She'd flip." 

"All right." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I have to go; I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to take with me." 

"Be safe, okay?" he said as she stood up to leave. The image of the werewolf's jaws sprang to mind and she shoved it away. 

"I will. You be careful." She smiled, waved, and left the room. 

Once the spell was done the next day, the urgency slammed into her, hard. She got the impression that the Lady had been distracted, and that distraction was finished, now. She called Rocky, who had been released not long after she'd left the day before, and asked if they'd returned yet. 

"No, I haven't heard anything," he said. "What's up?" 

"I have to leave in the morning. I don't know if I passed, but She wants me to go. If Adam gets in touch with you, please have him call me, I don't care what time it is. I left a message at his house, but I don't know if he'll get it...." She couldn't believe how close to tears she was. 

"Maggie, calm down." He seemed to be thinking. "Write him a letter, and if he hasn't called, leave it on my porch on your way out. I'll make sure he gets it and reads it, okay?" There was a pause. "Are you packed?" 

"Yeah, mostly." She was amazed that her voice wasn't shaking. 

"Good. My family's out, there's a horror movie on TV. You know, the kind you laugh at. In fact," he added with a laugh, "its Bride of Hackensack. Come over here, I'll leave a message at Adam's to call here if he gets home, and relax a little. Okay?" 

Maggie paused, looking at her stuff in boxes, then nodded. "All right. I'll be there in half an hour." 

"Make it 20 minutes, or you'll miss the beginning of the movie." 

"Got it." 

The two of them were in stitches over the special effects and the memory of Adam's nightmare the one time he'd spent the night at the school. Rocky pointed out every instance one of the group had taken the place of a character in the movie, with his matter of fact "oh, and that was me. Don't you think Billy would have been better as a werewolf?" or "That turned out to be Zordon, then Mondo, and then he really freaked out". She couldn't stop laughing, and she wasn't quite sure if she was laughing at him or the movie. It was almost over when they heard footsteps pounding on the porch, and an urgent knocking. "Hm," Rocky said, and got up to answer it. Maggie heard a low conversation, then Rocky returned with Adam, who sank down next to her, out of breath. 

"Sorry. They scrambled Bulk and Skull's brains, and we had to put them back together.... They were weirder than usual. Skull thought he was Antonio Banderas." 

"That's something," Maggie said, and took a deep breath. She got a nose full of one of the most horrid stenches she'd ever come across. "What is that?" She wrinkled her nose. Adam looked at her in confusion. "You... where were you?" 

He looked down at his jacket. "Oh." He shrugged out of it, throwing it unceremoniously across the room. "I... got slimed. It was not a pretty thing." 

"Slimed?" 

"Never mind." He smiled, then the smile fell. "You're leaving," he said before she could bring it up, and she nodded. 

"Tomorrow morning. I have your address, and I promise I'll write." 

"So will I." He took a deep breath. "I'll miss you." 

She blushed. "I'll miss you, too. I'll be back, but don't hold your breath, Adam. I don't know when." I don't even know if, she thought to herself, but didn't voice the thought aloud. The only thing that would keep her from coming back was death. She hesitated, then leaned forward and hugged him for the first time, holding him close to her to feel the power in him, and to catch his scent one last time. "I'd better go," she said suddenly, pulling away from him. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes, and didn't want to cry in front of him. "I think it's going to be a long drive tomorrow, and I want to call everyone else." 

His eyes were startled when she met them next, and he nodded. "Be safe, okay?" 

"You're the one with someone hunting you," she said with a smile. "You be careful." She stood and looked around, suddenly anxious to be gone before she embarrassed both of them. "Where did Rocky go?" 

Adam glanced around, too. "I don't know." He stood and followed her to the door, where Rocky stood in the entry way, peering out at the street. "Rocky," Adam said. 

He turned, surprised, wincing slightly as he did so. "Oh. Hi. Just a minute." The doorbell rang and he pulled the door open to reveal Tommy, Kat, and Tanya all crowded in the doorway. "I called them all, when Adam showed up," Rocky said, and Maggie was surrounded by her friends, smothered in hugs. It was getting harder to keep the tears hidden, but she somehow made it, begging off with the truth that they - and their power, which had changed again, she noticed distantly - were starting to overwhelm her and her shields. She escaped finally and drove home slowly, afraid that she would crash because she couldn't see through her tears. 

The next morning dawned bright and clear, and she was on her way out the door, leaving her father with a kiss, when Adam arrived on his bike, out of breath, screeching to a halt in front of her car. "I was hoping I'd catch you," he said, leaning the bike against her jeep and walking over to her. "I wanted to give you something." He grinned. "I figured it had to be small, portable, and you said once you liked this." He handed her something, and she hesitantly took it, opening her hand to find one of his necklaces in it. It was her favorite, a black and green yin yang design, a perfect symbol of him, of the power he held. "Please, take it to remember me by." 

As if I could forget you, she thought as she reached out to hug him again. "Thank you. You take care of yourself, okay?" 

"I promise. You be careful, and don't tell me I'm the one who's got someone hunting me," he added as she opened her mouth. She laughed. 

"Okay, I won't. I'll write and tell you where I am. I'll see you later?" 

"You'd better," he smiled, and opened the door to her jeep. "Thanks for keeping our secret." 

"Thanks for letting me in on it," she smiled. She got in and he closed the door, then moved his bike so she could drive out. She waved one last time, at both her dad and Adam, then pulled out of the driveway. She at least got off her street and out of his sight before she started to cry in earnest. Her tears lasted until she was well out of Angel Grove.

  



	7. "Every New Beginning Comes from Some Oth...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

"Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End"  
Semisonic, _Closing Time_

  


Margery's return to Angel Grove went pretty much unnoticed by most of the populace of Angel Grove. She and Tabitha moved into a small, two bedroom apartment with a minimum of fuss, and the next day - after sleeping in way too late and completely enjoying it - they went for a walk. Maggie walked slowly, tired from the last 'adventure' she'd been on. It had taken a lot out of her, and it was going to take a while to recover. She just looked around, remembering the good times she had spent there, and her mind got stuck on it. Or more specifically, on one of her friends. 

"Do you think he's still here?" Tabitha asked quietly. 

Her words startled Maggie, and she glanced in some surprise at her. Tabitha had never read her mind like that. Only Adam had, at one time in her life. Then she realized what had happened; she was holding onto the necklace he'd given her the last time she'd seen him. "His last letter came from here," she said neutrally after a short struggle with her emotions and a faint flush to her cheeks. How long did you expect him to wait? her thoughts said. Ten years is a long time. 

"That was six months ago. He didn't write again." 

"I never answered him. He couldn't be sure where to write. It's not like we stayed anywhere very long." She sighed and let the necklace go. "Look. There's the park. I think I want to sit down a while." 

But once there, she didn't just sit down. She kept walking, wanting to find the clearing that had become hers during the few months she'd lived there, so many years ago. It didn't take long, and she sank down in the middle of it, leaned back on her hands, and gazed up at the sky. 

"I'm going to go find something to drink," Tabitha said, and Maggie nodded absently. She barely noticed her friend disappear as the feeling she'd once tried to describe to Adam wrapped around her. Eventually, it did sink in, especially when she began to feel exposed. She was done with the fighting, but the instincts didn't just go away. There were things she understood about Adam's letters, now. Not just he, but all of them had a hard time readjusting to normal life. With a groan, she got up and moved to the edge of the clearing, leaned against one of the trees, and closed her eyes. Just a minute to rest them, she thought. 

The sound of her name brought her just barely back to consciousness, then the shadow leaning over her flew backwards with a grunt and a thud. "Who are you," Tabitha's voice growled. Maggie struggled to open her eyes, only to be confronted with two blurry figures. She rubbed gently at her eyes, chagrined that she'd fallen asleep, and looked again. Tabitha straddled the ribs of a man with short, curly black hair, her hands pinning his wrists to the ground. From what Maggie could see of his face, he didn't look scared. Before he could answer, however, Tabitha leaned closer and sniffed at him. 

"What..." he started, then she rolled off him, getting to her feet with a feline grace, and reached a hand down to help him up. 

"Nice to finally meet you," she said once he was on his feet. 

"Tabitha, what was that?" Maggie finally asked. Then gasped as he turned to look at her. "Adam?" 

He grinned, and the butterflies in her stomach went into overdrive. He'd always had that effect on her. "Hi, Maggie." 

She couldn't believe it, one day in Angel Grove, and she'd already run into him. Not that she was ready, she still didn't have an answer to his letter, but it seemed the Lady was ready for them to meet again. 

"I'll go... prowl," Tabitha said with a grin, and walked past Maggie. Maggie grabbed her arm. 

"Don't go far," she pled softly, more afraid of being left alone with him than anything else. 

Tabitha smiled. "Now, you worry. Will you ask if ... Kat is still here? I want to meet her, if I can." Maggie nodded and let her go, then turned her attention back to Adam, who hadn't moved. She started to get to her feet, and nearly fell. He took her arm - how did he move that fast? - and steadied her. 

"How are you?" he asked gently, and her knees nearly buckled again. She hadn't seen him, heard his voice in far too long. Especially that tone, which had never been aimed at her. 

"I'm okay," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "But if I don't sit down, I'm going to fall. Standing up was a stupid thing to do. Care to join me on the ground?" She found it nearly impossible to meet his eyes. 

He helped her sit down, and settled down next to her. "You look tired. Are you sure you're okay?" 

"I am tired, but I'm okay. How about you?" 

"Good. I'm helping Rocky with his karate school, teaching there. I'm considering an offer of joining him in a partnership. I don't know yet." 

"Any other options?" she asked. 

"No, not really. That's part of the problem." 

"How's Tanya?" She tried hard to keep her voice neutral. His on-again, off-again relationship with his former teammate had been as much a heart ache to her as it had to him, if for different reasons. She liked Tanya, but the woman's indecision had been painful. 

"She's in LA, recording her album. It was a huge break for her. Funny thing is, she ran into Skull down there - he's an accomplished pianist - and they hit it off. Last I heard, they were dating when their schedules permitted." 

"Skull?" Maggie laughed, incredulous. 

"Yeah. Pretty amazing." He sounded less than thrilled. 

"You still care for her." His letter had been pretty explicit that they were just friends, almost as if he were trying to convince himself, or her. She still didn't understand why he had felt so strongly about letting her know that. Of course, that was the letter she'd never answered, and had hoped to have an answer to when she saw him again. 

"She's a good friend. She was a teammate. We had a lot of things in common." He sighed. "Why didn't you answer my letter?" 

She looked at him to find him looking at her, and she blushed and looked down. How did he do that? She swore he could read her mind, although he never reacted to her internal dialogue with him. She'd forgotten what it was like. Maybe she was obvious? "I didn't know how. I carried it around for months - I think it's still in my purse - trying to figure out how I was going to answer you. Then I just moved back here, and decided to try to answer it in person." She pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. "But I still don't know what to say." 

"Okay." It was a friendly word. She let her legs go and sat up, turning to look at him. "I didn't think it would be easy," he said softly, almost to himself. "I've got to do something before you take off again, though." And before she could tell him she wasn't going to go anywhere, he kissed her gently on the lips. 

It was a short kiss, tinged with the power he'd held in high school, an odd combination of the two with more black than green, and it took her breath away. She just stared at him, surprised and grateful. This, from the guy she considered the shyest she'd ever met?!? His hand touched her cheek and he smiled. "How are you, really?" he asked. 

That was more than she could handle. The exhaustion from battling in Faerie, the long drive, and the relief that it was all over came out of her in great, wracking sobs. She buried her face in her hands and wept. "Maggie?" he asked gently, then wrapped his arms around her and held her. She leaned against him and just let the tears come. 

When she began to calm down, she found a familiar orange tabby cat in her lap, meowing pitifully: Tabitha, in her cat form, named Tabby, which the human form protested quite a bit. A thick furred white cat sat next to Adam, nudging his arm every once in a while, when he forgot to pet her. "Where did they come from?" Maggie asked, gently petting the cat in her lap. She began to purr lustily, and Maggie could feel herself relaxing. Tabby always seemed to know exactly what to do to make her feel better. 

"I don't know. They just kind of appeared. That one crawled into your lap, and this white one has been bothering me for attention." 

"Cats have a habit of doing that." Maggie leaned closer to him, her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me borrow your shoulder." She realized then in surprise how well she fit in his arms, and it scared her a little, but only for an instant. 

"Anytime." 

They both started as someone yelled Adam's name, although their reactions differed: Maggie nearly jumped out of her skin, and Adam just flinched. He chuckled. "Oops. I must be late. He'll be accusing me of taking after Tommy next." 

"Who?" Maggie asked, then her answer came into the clearing. 

"Adam, you're late. What have...." Rocky slowed down, the shock on his face priceless. "Wish I had a camera," Maggie whispered to Adam. "Hey, Rocko," she smiled, pulling gently away from Adam and dislodging the cat in her lap. "You're going to have to help me get up. I'm about as exhausted as I possibly can be." 

Rocky pulled her to her feet and gave her a hug. It was something of a relief to feel the last bit of power in him, red tinged ever so faintly with blue. That made no sense at all. Then she realized Adam's had been like that, too, reversed, the black stronger than the green. "It's good to see you. Although I really don't think Adam's going to be forgiven. Did you forget?" he asked Adam as the other man got to his feet. 

"No. But..." He looked so helpless that Maggie laughed. 

"I just spent the last while - I don't know how long - crying on his shoulder." 

"Is something wrong?" Rocky asked. 

"No. I was just tired and ... tired. Something like what Adam explained in his letter when you guys...." She stopped, abruptly aware of the cat at her feet. Tabitha didn't know about them, she'd never told her. She'd never told Adam about Tabitha, either. She found herself stuck. 

"Did you guys see Kat? She came looking for you, too." Rocky saved her, probably without even knowing he'd done it, although with Rocky, you never knew. Maggie suddenly realized exactly who that white cat had been. She very nearly burst into laughter, and looked around for the cat to cover it up. She was gone. 

"No, I didn't see her. But we'd better go." Adam took Maggie's arm. "Would you like to come? There are people who would like to see you again, and I can take you home afterwards." 

Maggie looked down at the cat at her feet, who was calmly washing her face, and sighed. No clues from her, she was being stubborn. "Where are we going?" 

"Its close to the youth center." 

"Yes, that would be nice. Who all will be there?" 

"Almost everyone." Rocky grinned at her. "They'll be glad to see you." 

"What's the occasion?" 

"Something we have been waiting for," Adam grinned as they escorted her towards the road. 

"Is this anything I know about?" 

"No," Rocky said hesitantly with a glance at Adam. Adam shook his head. 

"Oh?" She settled into the back seat of Rocky's jeep and closed her eyes. "I hope you aren't standing on too much ceremony. I'm sure I look like I just cried my eyes out." 

"You look fine," Adam said gently, and touched her knee. "I'm really glad you came back." 

"Yeah. Now he can stop moping around...." Rocky cut off with a grunt, and Maggie opened her eyes just in time to see Adam's fist retracting again. She chuckled. 

"Well, I suppose my friend Tabitha could say the same thing about me," she admitted. 

"I thought so." Adam punched him in the shoulder. "I should have let you drive," Rocky told him. 

"Right. Touch your precious jeep?" 

Maggie laughed. "Time!" she called gently. Adam turned around and grinned at her. 

"Sorry. You have this... affect on me. I feel like I'm back in High School." 

"Please tell me it's a temporary thing," Rocky begged. 

"Should I lie?" 

Rocky moaned. "Yes," he said. "Lie. Please. Give me some hope." Maggie chuckled softly; it was almost as if their roles from high school had changed. Rocky had become more serious, and Adam had developed a streak of playfulness she had always been glad of in Rocky. Yes, it was good to be back. 

After a short drive, they pulled up in front of the Youth Center. "It's changed," she said, climbing out with Adam's help. 

"Yeah. We're across the street." To her surprise, they led her into a church, from which came a loud organ. It sounded like someone was trying to get the hang of the bridal march. 

"Please tell me this is the rehearsal," she whispered to Adam. 

"It is. Just have a seat." His dark eyes dancing, he followed Rocky down the aisle to where she could see a tall blonde man she didn't recognize. At least, not at first. Billy?!? When had Billy gotten back? She was going to have a long talk with Adam about that. Next came a flower girl, then the bride's maids. Kat walked by, and the girl who followed her wasn't someone Maggie knew. Behind her came Aisha, who looked so completely in love and completely happy, there was no question that she was the bride. Adam hadn't said anything about her being back either! What was up with that? 

When the rehearsal ended, Aisha turned to the two groomsmen. "So," she said in voice that silenced everyone else, "have you two got dates for the dinner?" Maggie chuckled softly as Rocky stared at the floor. She knew that Aisha wasn't going to take no for an answer. 

"Actually, I have a surprise for both of you," Adam said, looking at Aisha and Billy. "Close your eyes. You, too, Kat," he added. She suddenly realized someone was missing; where was Tommy? and was Justin here, for that matter? She hadn't actually met him, but Adam had talked about him a lot. 

A hand touched her arm, pulling her back to now, and Adam walked her up to the front of the church where the small group was waiting. "Okay, open them." 

They all looked at Adam, then at Maggie, and Aisha broke into a smile and hugged her. Maggie enjoyed the familiarity of her power, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. "Adam, I didn't think it was possible for anyone to make me happier, but you did it," Aisha said, and let Maggie go. "How did he get you here?" 

As soon as Aisha let her go, Billy hugged her almost tight enough to injure her ribs, and the soothing blue power - same as before he'd moved - brushed her shields. 

"Um, actually, it's been...." She couldn't say coincidence. "The hand of the Goddess. Adam wrote me six months ago, and I never wrote him back. I just moved back here." 

"So, you missed out on the whole sordid story," Billy grinned. "We'll have to tell you." "Hey, my turn," Kat said gently, and Maggie turned to give her a hug. Her power, too, was not as strong as Adam's or Rocky's, or Aisha's and Billy's, for that matter. What was going on? 

"Hm... Where's Tommy? and this Justin person? I've been dying to meet him," she said, and looked around. The woman she hadn't recognized was tall and slender, and with dark blonde hair and a smile that lit up her blue eyes. 

"I'm Kim," she said. 

"Oh, I'm Maggie, sorry." She took her hand, and was surprised to feel the residue of power she'd felt in all of them. It felt a lot like Kat's, once she factored out the were-cat qualities, but was stronger than Kat's, which confused her. She leaned close to Kim. "Original pink?" she asked softly, remembering her name from her questions in high school, and grinned to see her look startled. Aisha laughed. 

"You didn't use to do that," Adam chided, taking her arm again. 

"Sorry, Kim. I don't know what they've told you about me, if anything, but I'll fill you in if you want." She looked at them. "So? Where are Tommy and Justin?" 

"Camping." Aisha looked disgusted. "They'll be back tomorrow, but they'd organized this trip a long time ago." 

"What is it with you guys and camping," Maggie muttered, with a wink at Rocky. He grinned. 

"Well, I want to know what's going on. Kevin is meeting us there, and he doesn't know about my past, so we'll keep it that way, please," Kim said. 

"And Rocky has to find a date," Aisha said calmly, looking at her friend. 

"Like who?" he finally burst out. "It's not like I didn't try, Aisha. Reva has a concert in New York she couldn't get out of. And there was no one you knew or would approve of who would come." There was no malice in his words, Maggie noted. They were good friends, and she was glad it stayed that way. 

"Who's Reva?" she asked, looking from Rocky to Adam. 

"My wife. The announcement came back, but we never told Adam, so he didn't know you didn't know." 

"I'm confused," Maggie laughed. "But I might have a suggestion," she said. "My roommate should be around here somewhere. She's a neutral party and won't do anything your wife wouldn't approve of. In the park, maybe?" She looked at Kat, who grinned and shrugged. 

"Actually, I'm right here," Tabitha's voice said from the doorway, and Maggie turned to grin at her. 

"Good. Want to go on a blind date?" 

Tabitha scowled. "Not again, Maggie." 

"What? For one, he's married, and his wife couldn't make it. Besides, I've known Rocky for almost eleven years, and he's never done anything to hurt anyone." 

"That he could help," Adam added softly, and grunted. "Don't hit, it's juvenile." 

"Um, may I remind you that you started it on the way over here," Rocky said just as quietly, causing Maggie to begin to laugh. She understood now what Adam had meant by feeling like he was in High School again - it did feel like it. "And I wouldn't mind if you said no," he added, louder, looking down the aisle towards Tabitha, "but Aisha is about to kill me. Please take pity on me. I promise not to do anything horrid; Reva would kill me if I did." 

"When did he get so eloquent?" Maggie whispered to Kat. 

"That's eloquent?" 

"For Rocky," Maggie grinned, and the two girls giggled. 

"Uh, oh, Maggie's punchy. What did you do to her?" Tabitha demanded, walking towards them. Maggie could see her eyes, weighing Rocky, looking at the others gathered around. When she reached the group, she seemed to shudder. "You guys make my fur stand on end," she said softly, and Maggie smiled. 

"Yeah, I bet they do," she said, and stepped forward to hug her friend. "Thanks for in the park," she whispered. 

"They have secrets," Tabitha said. 

"So do you," Maggie shot back. 

"Okay, I'm confused," Aisha said with a grin, "and it's not polite to confuse the bride. Let's go eat." She took Billy's arm and led the group out of the church. 

The dinner was nice, and amazingly enough, the parents left the young people to their reminiscing. Kat's date was her brother, who she introduced to Maggie as Richard. 

"All right, I believe introductions are in order," Billy said, and gestured at Kim. 

"Hi, I'm Kim," she said, with a grin. "This is my fiancé, Kevin." They went around the table, and Maggie listened quietly to the currents of power that their words invoked. Peace, content, love, belonging, it didn't matter the generation or the team, they were a cohesive whole, and it included Kevin, Richard, her, and even Tabitha, who looked entirely too pleased with herself. Considering she was sitting with Rocky, Maggie wasn't sure that was a good thing, especially since they both kept shooting looks at her and Adam, and giggling. 

About the time dessert rolled around, Maggie had finally relaxed and sat quite comfortably, her head on Adam's shoulder, eyes closed and nearly asleep. A sudden thought struck her, and she sat bolt upright, eyes wide. 

"What?" Tabitha asked, tensed suddenly, and the whole table went silent. Maggie looked at her, then slowly relaxed. 

"Sorry. I just thought of something." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm used to over reacting to things." 

"Why?" Kat asked. 

"Because I have fought things that give me nightmares," Maggie answered, then decided that the topic was best dropped. "Sorry, Aisha. I really don't mean to upstage you." She settled back down, leaning back in her seat. 

"I understand over reactions," Aisha said quietly. "Most of us do." Almost everyone at the table nodded. 

When the conversation started up again, she turned to Adam, who looked at her with interest. "It has to do with Tanya," he guessed. 

"How do you do that? she wondered in frustration. "Yes, it does. You made it real clear in your last letter that you and Tanya were friends, but that was..." 

"That hasn't changed," he interrupted her. "Everything in there about our relationship still holds true." 

She nodded. "That's a good thing to know." She settled back down on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, enjoying the currents of love and friendship around her. It was what she needed to finish her healing.


	8. "Leave What's Now Behind" - Queensrÿche,...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

"Leave What's Now Behind"  
Queensrÿche, _Speak_

  


The next day, Adam picked up Maggie and Tabitha for the wedding, and they slipped in and sat in back of the church. Rocky sat next to them. "I thought you were one of the groomsmen," Maggie whispered. 

"Nope. Just standing in for Tommy. And Adam was standing in for Jason." He pointed up at the two muscular men who stood next to Billy, neither of whom she had seen in a long time. "He was at a tournament for some of his students yesterday. His do-jo won first in overall." 

"How did your's do?" 

"Didn't go. I knew Aisha would kill me if I tried." Adam joined them, then, slipping an arm around Maggie's shoulders and squeezing her. 

"How are you doing?" 

"Much better." A good night's sleep and restful dreams had done wonders for her. She leaned comfortably against Adam, then heard snickering beside her. Turning, she found Tabitha and Rocky trying very hard not to burst into laughter, and looking at her and Adam. Her face flushed. 

"See! I told you!" Tabitha whispered. 

"Told him what?" Maggie asked. 

"That it wouldn't take long before you two were a couple. It's hovered in the back of every reading you did for us." 

"I already knew that," Rocky said. 

"Sh," Adam hissed as the organ started again, and they settled down to watch the wedding. The reception followed the wedding immediately, over at the youth center, and that was where Maggie met Justin. The blue in his aura came as no surprise at all. 

"So you're Maggie," was all he said, with a huge smile. 

"And you're Justin. I guess Adam did a lot of talking about both of us," she grinned, a little surprised at how young he was. He laughed, then was swept off into the dancing by a girl about his age. She turned to find Adam regarding her with a smile. 

"You're dying to ask me," he said. 

"How old was Justin when you guys went to Muranthias?" 

"Twelve." 

"Twelve?" She stared at him. "I guess it worked out, but man, that's young. How old were you when you became a Ranger?" 

"Sixteen. A very young sixteen," he added, grinning. "It was an interesting experience." 

"I believe that. So, can you answer me a question?" 

"Sure. At least, I hope so. What is it?" 

"Jason's got the weirdest... feel I've tasted yet. Where did he come from?" 

"Angel Grove," the man said behind her, and she and Adam turned to face him. 

"Let's go sit down," Adam said, and let them over to a secluded table. 

"Used to this, are you?" Jason asked, chuckling. 

"Oh, yeah," he grinned. "Her questions are never ending." 

"Jason, how are you feeling? I mean, the Gold powers really took something out of you." She paused. "They weren't from here, were they?" 

Jason slowly shook his head. "That never ceases to amaze me," he said, looking at Adam and sounding out of breath. "Does she always surprise you like that? Does she surprise everyone like that?" 

"Yes. I think she almost gave Tommy a heart attack when she told us the first time, from his reaction in the command center that night. He was pretty sure someone had told her, and for some reason he thought it was me." 

As if you could talk to me about anything at that time, she thought with a grin, never mind about the biggest secret of your life. "He knows differently now, doesn't he?" Maggie asked. 

"Yeah, I think so. Especially when you Looked at us and knew we'd changed, and that Billy had lost his powers. No one had talked to you. We hadn't had a chance." He chuckled. "I wish I'd had a camera for Tanya's face, and for yours. It was the funniest thing I'd seen. Kim's face yesterday was priceless." 

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I believe that." 

"So, tell me about the Gold powers!" Maggie demanded. 

He chuckled. "They were from Triforia, where the people are... triplets, sort of, but they inhabit the same body, or they can take a triple form, or something like that." He shook his head. "Billy could explain it better." 

"Yeah, but he's busy, and I'd never understand," Maggie grinned. 

Jason laughed. "Our DNA is just too different. But you knew that." He shrugged. "I'm fine, actually." 

"Good. I tried to tell you something was wrong, but I never seemed to be able to. I could see you were going to be ill. I'm glad you came through it okay." She reached out to touch his hand, and snatched her own back at the contact. "Whoa. What happened to you?" 

He shifted, uncomfortable, and glanced at Adam. "How much does she know about Muranthias?" 

Maggie's eyebrows went up. "That was you? Lady Light, no wonder you feel so..." She shook her head. "Never mind. No explanations necessary. Are you recovered from that?" 

He took a deep breath. "Yes. Thanks. Just the occasional nightmare." 

She nodded. "I can understand that. I'm glad you didn't stay on the wrong side." 

"Thanks." He paused suddenly. "You were the reason Adam rushed out so fast when we got back. He called home, then almost literally vanished out Tommy's front door. Then the others got a phone call, and Kim and I were just left at Tommy's with nothing to do for about half an hour, and everyone was a little sad when they came back." 

"That Kim?" She pointed to the woman she'd met yesterday, who danced by with her fiancé. Jason nodded, and Maggie scowled at him. "You have some serious stuff to get through before those nightmares go away. I could tell you were in Muranthias. I couldn't tell that she was." He looked at her, startled. "I mean it, Jason. There is something unresolved, the.... it's still in you. Faded, but her's is gone." She took a deep breath. "Once you let it go, Maligore will be completely gone. And She will thank you for it." 

"She who?" 

"The Lady. He defiled her long enough...." She shook her head. "That was for you guys to deal with, and you did. Now, you have to let it go, Jason." 

He looked utterly confused. "What?" 

"What happened?" 

His face went blank. "Nothing." 

She laughed gently. "Jason, your aura doesn't lie. He took the good from you, didn't he." 

Jason nodded slowly. "How do you know?" 

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Tommy asked, standing next to the table. Maggie jumped to her feet and went to hug him. To her surprise, she could feel red, green, and white in him, but the white was stronger than the other two. But that could wait. "Did you know Jason still has nightmares from Muranthias?" she asked. 

"Yeah." He shrugged as they both sat down. 

"I bet they're night terrors and he wakes up screaming, or almost, and I bet you anything that Kim rarely, if ever, dreams about it, and only as a regular nightmare." She looked pointedly at Jason. "Am I right?" 

He nodded, looking for all the world like a deer caught in headlights. Maggie stifled a giggle; this was serious. "I can't speak for Kim, though." 

Adam got up with a smile. "I'll go ask her." He returned shortly and sat down by Maggie again. "It's true. She says she hasn't had a nightmare about it in years, and even then they are just the normal nightmares, no waking up screaming or anything." 

"She didn't try to kill her best friend," Jason said softly. 

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Jase, man, it wasn't really you," Tommy broke in before she could say anything. "And that evil... I could feel it, both from you and from the pit when you had me pinned. I didn't have any protection from it then, remember?" He took a deep breath. "If I hadn't thought you were worth it, I wouldn't have pulled you out of that pit. There was good in you, or I would have dropped you. I could feel that, too." 

Maggie stared at him. "You would have?" Adam choked out. 

Tommy colored slightly, but nodded. "Jase, there was no way I was going to let that thing loose on the earth, never mind as Devatox's husband. And much as I had depended on you in the past, I knew you'd rather die than be turned loose as you were. Besides, right after that, you had ample time to get me again, but you wandered off, remember? As if you didn't know what to do, who you were... I don't know. We never had a chance to sit and talk about it." 

Jason took a deep, trembling breath. "Well." He seemed unable to think of anything else to say. Maggie looked at Adam and smiled: he was focused on Jason so hard she didn't think anything would distract him. After a few minutes, Jason smiled, tremulously. "Well, okay. That gives me something to think about." 

"Talk to Kim," Tommy said. "Heck, talk to me. I've been there, too, and Kat as well. It's not easy to deal with, but it is possible." 

"You?" Maggie asked, turning to look at him. "You've been three different colors, and evil? Good grief, what do you do for an encore, gargle peanut butter?" 

Jason laughed. "Good question." He looked at Tommy expectantly. 

Tommy's eyes flashed, and he grinned. "That is for me and Kat to know, and you not to find out," he said. Maggie grinned back and Looked at him, and the grin faded from her face. He raised an eyebrow at her. "And speaking of Kat, she'll think I abandoned her. I'll talk to you later, right, Jase?" Was that haste in his voice? He stood up fast enough, and she smiled. I've done it again. Poor Tommy. 

"Yes," Jason said. 

"Tell Kat to call me," Maggie said, and he nodded as he faded back into the crowd. He'd better. She has some explaining to do. "What did he mean, he didn't have any protection from the evil?" she asked, turning back to the other two. 

"He took his helmet off to try to break the spell," Adam said. 

"Oh," she said, still confused. He smiled at her. 

"So," Jason said, turning Maggie's attention to him, "did Adam fill you in on everything?" 

"No, not quite. There was no way to do that. I couldn't even tell him what all I did." She grinned. "Secrets." Oh, boy, and we haven't stopped keeping them, have we? 

"I guess you traveled a lot?" he asked. She nodded. "Where did you go?" 

She laughed. "Everywhere. I ended up in Kentucky, New York, Chicago, and a little place called Eden, Wyoming, which was anything but an Eden. I'm hoping it's better there, now." 

"What was in Eden Wyoming?" Jason asked. 

"A werewolf. There were ghosts in Chicago, that I wouldn't care to meet again." She shuddered. "And other things that nightmares are made of." Not to mention some of the wildest dreams, she thought to herself. 

"That explains a few things," Adam said softly. 

"Oh? Like what?" Maggie asked. 

"Like... Did you meet a vampire? I didn't understand the reference to the Count." 

"Yes. In Toronto. But he was good." 

"A good vampire. Very interesting," Jason said. "I think I'll stick with my own nightmares, thank you. They don't include unnatural things." Maggie stared at him, then started laughing. "What?" he asked. 

"Those _are_ natural things. What you guys fought, those were unnatural, created by someone or something other than the Goddess." She smiled. "But I'm really glad I didn't have to face them. I don't think it would have worked out well."

  


"Come On, Take a Chance - Let's Dance"  
Metallica, _Devil's Dance_

  


Maggie woke groggily to the ringing phone and snatched it up, mindful of the cat curled at her back. "Yes?" she mumbled. 

"Hi," Kat's cheery voice greeted her on the other end. "Have a late night?" 

"Not really, I just can't take catnaps like you can. Hang on." She set the phone down, indulged in a yawn and a stretch, and picked it up again. "Oops, sorry," she said to Tabby, who she'd accidentally knocked down. "Okay, I'm a little awake, now," she informed Kat. "Now, you have some explaining to do. What happened to Tommy?" 

Kat's delighted laugh made her smile. "He said you might have figured it out. Can we come over, or meet, or something? I don't think we want to talk on the phone about this." 

"Um, yeah, that's a good idea. Come on over here. Give me half an hour to get feeling alive again, okay?" 

"Okay. It'll take that long to get Tommy to wake up." She chuckled. "He can't take catnaps either." 

"Does he know?" Maggie asked. 

"Yes. But I'll explain that when we get there." 

"Okay. See you then." She hung up and looked blankly at the phone, then climbed off her bed. "I guess I'd better shower," she mumbled. 

About a half an hour later, there was a knock on the door, and Maggie opened it up to see Tommy and Kat. She smiled. "Good, you're on time. I seem to remember you having a problem with punctuality." 

"It wasn't me," Kat grinned. Tommy just laughed. 

"What is it you wanted to talk to us about?" 

"Come on in." She closed the door behind them, and led them to the living room. From one of the back rooms came Tabby, Tabitha in her cat form. She padded right over to Tommy, sniffed at him, and hissed, furiously. She backed up, her hair still standing on end, and warped into a tiger. Maggie's eyebrows went up, and she looked at Tommy. She was not prepared for his response; he shifted into a large white tiger and swiped at the gold one facing him. "Whoa." She grabbed the ruff of both cats. They both looked at her with green-gold eyes. "Go ahead and fight all you want, but not a peep out of you, either of you. If someone hears a tiger in here, Tabitha, you are going to come up with the explanation. And try to keep the destruction down, okay?" She stepped away; the gold tiger turned and bounded out of the room, and the white tiger followed her. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about," she said. 

Kat grinned. "Tommy said he thought he confused you at the reception." 

"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Maggie grinned. "Although I figure you guys ought to stop confusing me. I mean, I ought to get used to the fact that you guys are just not going to be normal. For Pete's sake, you're a were-cat." She almost added about Adam reading her mind, but decided not to. "So, what is up?" 

Kat took a deep breath. "When Tommy's Green Ranger powers were lost, Zordon created the White Ranger, and gave those powers to Tommy. He called upon the White Tiger - you'll have to ask Adam about what the others called on - until they went to Phaedos to get the Ninjetti powers. Then I came in... and then you came in. Somehow, I don't understand, he's able to change to a white tiger." She was interrupted by a crash. 

"Hey! I said no destruction!" Maggie yelled, and turned back to Kat. "I guess asking you to change to a crane would not be a good idea?" 

She chuckled. "I inherited that power from Kim. The crane is her spirit animal, not mine. I don't think it would work. And I'm not sure it would have worked anyway." Then she grinned. "You ought to ask Adam. Aisha said his reaction to his spirit animal was quite... interesting." 

"What was it?" 

"According to Aisha, his reaction was... "I'm a frog". He was really shy at the time, and when Dulcea kissed his forehead, he blushed bright red." 

"She kissed him?" 

"And then said, 'like the one you kiss to get a handsome prince.' So, was she right?" 

"What, that he makes a handsome prince? Certainly." Maggie grinned, and covered her bright red cheeks. "Ooh, I think I might have admitted too much." 

"Yes, I think you did." Kat grinned, then they heard another crash. "I'm working on teaching him how to go smaller, but he's not really getting the hang of it." 

"Next time, we'll let them go nuts at your house. Let's go see what they've destroyed, shall we?" They got up and went in back to the bedroom, where they found both tigers laying stunned in the middle of the floor of Tabitha's bedroom. "All right, that's it. Change back to human, and explain this to me." 

With a swift warping of reality, she was faced with two slightly embarrassed humans, and Tabitha laughed. "Sorry, Maggie, but seeing you angry at two tigers was worth everything." 

Maggie scowled. "Yeah, I don't doubt it. So this is your encore?" she asked, turning to Tommy. 

"Yes." He stood, brushing himself off, and helped Tabitha off the floor. "Quite interesting, don't you think?" 

"Yes." She had a zillion other questions, all of them having to do with the secret she held for him and the other Rangers. "That's one way to put it."

  


She called him a couple of days later. "Tom, what do you say about taking the kittens for a walk in the park?" 

"Still confused?" he asked, a touch of humor in his voice. 

"Yes." 

"Okay, sounds good." 

They met on the north side of the park, and immediately, the two cats took off. Maggie scowled at Tommy. "You couldn't do the tiger thing in high school," she told him. 

He shook his head. "No. I couldn't do a 'Falcon thing' then, either." 

"Great. You're a shape shifter." A vision struck her, of his tiger spirit going after the falcon spirit, and she burst into laughter. He glanced at her. 

"What?" 

"Don't you ever... come in conflict with yourself?" she finally sputtered out, and he chuckled. 

"No. With Kat? Sometimes." 

"And she is only a cat, right?" 

He nodded. "I don't think she can change size. I'm not sure I can, either." 

Maggie nodded; this is not what she wanted to talk about. "So, how did you become a shape shifter?" she asked. "More particularly, a Tiger? I'm fairly certain the other, Falcon power things are something you can all become, although why Adam would want to be a Frog, I have no idea." 

He laughed. "The White Tiger...." His voice drifted a little, then he shook his head. "That came at a... precarious time, I guess is the best way to put it. I had lost my powers, had them drained to the point of near non-existence, and gave up the last to Jason, just so Rita couldn't have them back. A sort of.... last ditch effort for rebellion. Zordon created the White Ranger powers, I don't know how, and linked them to the White Tiger - the only non-mythical beast of the bunch." He made a face. "I was used to... abnormal Zords. And even with the Falcon, sometimes I felt like I was... an extra, sort of 'buy five, get one free', but I got over it." He shrugged. "I felt like I fit a little more, then. With both the Dragonzord and the White Tiger, I was a... second...." He paused. "Not secondary, by any means, but the team was originally built around five people, and it took a while for the sixth to catch up." 

This was very interesting, but he still hadn't answered her question. "Okay," she said. "But how did that turn you into a shape shifter?" 

"You don't let up, do you?" he asked. 

"Nope." She gave him her best innocent smile, and he smiled back. 

"I... don't actually know. I mean...." He paused, uncertain. "I think the Falcon and the White Tiger are linked, somehow, if through nothing more than the color. No," he revised abruptly, "because that would mean Aisha could become a griffin, and Rocky a red dragon - which I would like to see, actually." He grinned at her. "But I don't think they can. I'm fairly certain Kim can't become a firebird. Maybe it's because the powers are... were made for me. Sort of specifically. Maybe that's it. I.... didn't even know I could until Kat showed me that the spell that was on her wasn't totally a spell, when she was a cat." 

"Yeah, she told me about that." 

"You knew?" 

Maggie laughed at his incredulous expression. "From the minute I saw her. And I didn't think it was much of a coincidence that my locker was right next to her's; that's how I met Tabitha, too." 

They'd wandered into Maggie's clearing, and a small white form burst out of cover, changing into Kat as she crashed, laughing, into Tommy. "I hope you're done," she smiled, grinning down at him. 

"I think so." He glanced up at Maggie, who nodded, grinning. 

"Yeah. If I have any more questions, believe me, I'll call you." 

"Great," Tommy said in mock sarcasm, and Maggie shook her head. 

"Do you always have this many questions?" Tabitha asked, stepping out from the same trees Kat had just come from. 

"Yes, actually," Maggie grinned. "And thank you so much for not giving me that... greeting." 

"Oh, certainly." Tabitha glanced at the two on the ground and giggled. "Don't worry, it'll never happen." 

Maggie looked to see the two lost in a kiss, and stifled one of her own giggles. "Let's leave them alone," she whispered, and the two fled the clearing, laughing the whole way.

  


"Face the Facts, the Memory Remains"  
Metallica, _The Memory Remains_

  


The days settled into a nice pattern, especially once Maggie found a job. She and Adam spent a lot of early evenings together in the park, just walking and enjoying the company. It was on one of those walks that she pulled him to a stop and turned to face him. "What happened... about a year after you told me you'd retired?" she asked. "There was this burst of power that knocked me - and a few others that I know of - completely out for about a day. I know it wasn't you guys, but it was your power. I could feel that." 

He laughed. "What brought that up?" 

"I was reading in my journal. I'd almost forgotten it. It was a long time ago," she added defensively. 

He took her arm, and started walking again. "I felt it, too. I don't know the details, really - the only connection I had to that team hasn't talked to me in a while...." He drifted off as they broke through the trees. "But we can ask him now; we're about to crash their picnic," he added, gesturing to the blankets spread out under one of the trees, people sprawled and sitting on them. 

"Hey, Adam!" The voice was accented Hispanic, and the man who ran over certainly matched the voice. 

"Hey, Carlos. How are you?" 

"Great. Want to join us?" He extended his hand to Maggie, who took it. "Carlos," he said. 

"Maggie," she smiled, barely able to hide her surprise at the surge of black power she felt in him. She glanced at Adam, then strengthened her shields. There was no way he would have known. 

"Sure, for a while," Adam answered, and they walked over to the rest of the group. 

"Whoa. Can I scare him, please?" she whispered. "Please?" Adam laughed, shaking his head. The group was fairly large, with a blonde woman who was obviously with the young man with striped hair, an oriental woman, and a black man. Before anyone could say anything, two more joined them; a tall blonde man, with a petit woman on his arm. Maggie started at one point in the circle, and introduced herself. 

"I'm Ashley," the blonde woman smiled, and shook her hand. Maggie grinned at the feel of yellow power; this was going to be fun. 

"Andros." It was almost like the first time she'd shaken hands with Billy; luckily her contact with Carlos had prepared her a little bit. She didn't faint, but just barely, and pulled her hand from his grip hastily. He felt a little odd to her shields, which she strengthened a little more, but she figured it was more to do with his red power tasting just a little off. The taste reminded her vaguely of Jason, and his short tenure as the gold Ranger. 

"Cassie," said the Asian woman with a shock of pink. 

"TJ." The black man gave her a wide grin that looked a little stressed; he was blue. 

"Zhane," the blonde man said as he and the woman sat down. She couldn't quite tell his color, but the power was there, for sure. White, or maybe silver? Just as strong as Andros, and the aberration in the power was there, as well. She pulled her hand from his grip as fast as she had from Andros'. 

"Karone," the woman with him said, and Maggie snatched her hand away even faster. She felt so weird, and there was no power in her at all. At least, not of the same flavor as the others. On the other hand, her shields were so strong right now she probably wouldn't even feel the power residue in Adam. 

"Sorry," she said, and Looked at her. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she turned to Look at everyone else. "Adam," she said faintly. 

"I know," he responded, and had her sit down. He sat next to her and she huddled close, frightened. His touch comforted her, especially the tinge of power she'd been half sure she wouldn't feel. 

"What is it?" Cassie asked. 

"Go ahead," Adam smiled at her. "It'll make you feel better." 

"Where are you three from?" she demanded, pointing at Zhane, Andros and Karone. "And you," she continued, still pointing at the woman, "have got all sorts of weird things...." She knew she was coming on a little strong, but what she had Seen really disturbed her. 

"What?" Andros asked, looking confused and a little worried. 

Maggie took a deep breath, closing her eyes to center herself. "Let me see if I got the time line right." She glanced at Adam and he nodded. "Ashley took Tanya's power, Cassie took Kat's. TJ took Justin's? And Carlos, of course, inherited from Adam, although why black and not green, I don't understand." All four of them looked stunned. "But Andros did not get his from Tommy, and I don't know where Zhane got his... Silver or white?" He nodded, just as stunned. "Although," she added musingly, "technically it could have come from Tommy. But no, it didn't. Both of you have held your power longer than he did, longer even than Billy. And Karone, you are REALLY confusing. I mean, you're not from Earth, and you have held power...." She paused, then looked at Adam in alarm. "She reminds me a little of Zedd's magic," she told him, then sucked in her breath in fear. "And even more of Jason, after Muranthias." 

"Did we look like that?" he asked her after a short pause, surveying the shocked and slightly scared faces of the people in front of him. 

"Not really. You knew me, at least a little bit. These poor people have no idea who I am." But it was close, she thought. There had been only a little less fear in their faces than in the ones she looked at now. 

"But how did you know?" Carlos demanded, looking as if he'd burst. "I didn't tell anyone about Karone," he growled to Andros, who'd turned to scowl at him. His features fell far too easily into that expression, but came back out of it as just as easily. "Adam? Did you tell her?" 

"He didn't have to." She did feel better, oddly enough, and finally chuckled. He knew her WAY too well. "I read Auras. I'm Wiccan. You all are screaming with power." 

"Actually," Adam interrupted, looking around at the faces around him, "TJ received the power from Tommy. And Carlos inherited the green from me." 

Maggie stared at him. "I never would have guessed that TJ had started with red or that Carlos had started with green. I can tell the color - although I am out of practice - but when Adam changed from black to green, I couldn't feel any of the black in him. It's there now, though. And that bit of information, Adam, helped clear up one mystery, at least. Everyone else just has the faintest tinge of it in their auras." She looked to Andros. "But you, and Zhane, and Karone... That's really confusing." 

Andros sighed and looked at TJ. The handsome black man started an amazing tale about receiving the Turbo powers from the team she'd known, and then Andros quickly filled her in on the story of how he'd met the other Rangers, and the story of Zhane. She nodded, little pieces falling into place. "So you left Justin behind?" Turbo powers? The power had a name? Did all of them have names? Wait, hadn't Kat said something about the frog powers, or whatever, that Adam had held when she first met him? 

"Too young," TJ said, jolting her out of her thoughts. 

"And his father had just returned. He didn't want to go," Cassie said. 

"Well, at least not very much," Ashley added. 

"Okay. Now, the reason we are here." Maggie repeated the question she'd asked Adam, and everyone turned to look at Andros, who actually blushed a little. 

"It was my fault. A whole day?" he asked. She nodded, then listened, captivated, as he told the story of the end of the Power Rangers. 

"You destroyed your ... old friend?" She looked at Adam. 

"It was a weird feeling. As soon as I heard the Rangers had returned, I hunted Carlos down and asked him what had happened. He couldn't really say, things were really hectic for him then with the press, and then other things just came up..." Carlos nodded. Maggie got the idea that it had been Tanya, or something to do with her. 

"But Astronema didn't... fade into dust like everyone else?" she asked. 

"No," Karone said faintly. "She didn't. She reverted back to her true form, like Zedd, and Rita, and Divatox. It just... took her a little longer." 

"She was my sister," Andros said. 

"I still am, thank you very much," Karone shot back, grinning at him. He smiled. 

"Oh," Maggie said. "That makes a lot of sense, then." She nodded slowly. "A lot more sense." She leaned back, taking them all in. "Heck of a picture. I've met you all, except for two of the original Rangers...." She shook her head. "We could probably go head to head on story telling." 

"She's met a vampire, Carlos," Adam told him, and the Hispanic man frowned. 

"Don't remind me about that, please. It was hard enough then. I still have nightmares about it." 

Maggie laughed. "Yeah, I could probably match you nightmare for nightmare, too. Try having a werewolf wanting to bite your face off." 

"A werewolf?" Andros asked. Ashley paled. 

"Ooh, no thanks," she said. 

"What's a werewolf?" Zhane asked. 

"A werewolf is a supposedly mythological creature that is half man, half wolf, and changes only at the full moon. But my poor kitten would tell you, if she weren't buried in Eden, that the full moon thing is bull; that's only when they can't control it." 

"What do you mean, supposedly mythological?" TJ asked, skeptical. 

"Well...." She pulled her sleeve up to bare her arm, and showed off a set of teeth marks. "He bit me here instead of my face, thanks in part to my cat, and a lot to the Goddess." She rubbed tenderly at the scars, then pulled her sleeve down. "But I'm done with that." She leaned against Adam and sighed. "I'm done with that."


	9. "I'm Sure I Could Face the Bitter Cold, ...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

  


"I'm Sure I Could Face the Bitter Cold, But Life Without You, I Don't Know"  
Celine Dion, _I Don't Know_

  


Maggie woke up screaming. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something, anything to look at so she didn't have to see the pictures in her mind, playing over and over again; a familiar little black car, broadsided by a moving van, then seeing the shrouded body.... The light came on, blinding bright, then Tabitha captured her attention. Her friend was pale. 

"Maggie, what's wrong?' 

The pictures wouldn't end, there was nothing she could do. "I killed him!" she yelled. "I killed him! He died, and it was my fault, and there was nothing I could do!" Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she barely noticed them. 

"Shh," Tabitha said gently, and sat down next to her. Feeling the weight, Margery struck out and knocked her friend away. There was a thud as she landed on the floor. 

"You don't understand! It was my fault!" she screamed through her tears, and curled up into a ball. "I killed him, and I couldn't stop it!" 

The next thing she knew, she was looking into the face of a rather irritated tiger with her ears pinned back. She stood on top of Maggie, pinning her down with quite a bit more weight than she really found comfortable. Distracted, she began to calm down, but she couldn't stop the tears. As soon as the cat determined she was calm enough, she climbed down off the bed. Maggie curled tighter, if possible, and sobbed into her blanket-filled hands. 

"Maggie," Tabitha's voice penetrated her brain finally, and she looked up at her friend, who no longer looked irritated. She did look worried, though. Tabitha began stroking her hair, gently soothing her with the rhythmic motion. "What happened." 

"I don't..." she gulped, trying to make her voice work. "I don't think it's happened yet, but he doesn't survive...." She could feel the hysteria rise again, and apparently, so could Tabitha. Her hand gripped Maggie's shoulder, distracting her again. 

"Don't think about it. It hasn't happened yet." She started the gentle soothing again. "Go ahead and cry it out, and when you're done, I'll get you some tea, okay?" 

Maggie nodded, miserable and wishing .... She didn't know what she wished. She didn't dare wish she'd never moved here, and she wouldn't wish away the last ten years for anything. Finally, the tears eased, and she loosened the grip on her comforter. "Okay," she whispered. "I'd like that tea now." 

"Good." She pushed the blankets away from Maggie, and pulled her up. "Come on. I don't want to leave you alone." Maggie paused long enough to grab a blanket and wrap it around her, then followed Tabitha into the kitchen. She sank down on one of the kitchen chairs and watched her fill the teapot. "Do you feel like talking about it?" Tabitha's voice calmed her as much as her purring did. 

Maggie hesitated. "It was..." She could feel the tears start up again. "No," she sobbed. "Not yet." 

"It had to do with Adam," Tabitha said softly as she pulled honey, milk, and sugar out to set on the table. "He's the only one you would have such a violent reaction to. Not even your dad." 

Maggie nodded. "He... It was a car accident." 

"Were you there?" 

She thought about it. "No." 

"Then how was it your fault?" 

"It was, it was, I don't know...." Tabitha took hold of her shoulders and shook her. 

"I know. Your dreams are always specific, and if you feel it was your fault, it must have been. But why, Maggie. Think why." 

The rational train of thought finally intruded on Maggie, and she found herself calming down. She tried to think of why she would be to blame for this accident that was going to happen. She continued to think back, going back in her memories, sipping absently at the tea Tabitha gave her. After a while, she sighed. "I can't. I'm going to have to try again, later." 

Tabitha smiled at her. "You look a lot better, you know?" 

Maggie chuckled. "So, what time did I wake you up this morning?" 

"Not too early, it's only six." She turned the stove off. "I'm going back to bed." She looked tired. 

Maggie made a face. "I think I'll stay up. I'm fairly sure that dream will come back..." She stopped. It hadn't been a dream, it had been a Foretelling, and a strong one. "I'm sure that will come back if I try to sleep. They'll just have to deal with me being tired at work. Sleep well." 

Tabitha had reached the hallway back to the bedrooms when there was a knock on the door. She checked the peephole, and started laughing. "Oh, this is priceless. Maggie, you have company!" she called, and opened the door with a flourish. "Come on in. She's in the kitchen." 

Maggie looked up to see Adam, looking as if he'd run the whole way to her apartment, dark hair curling riotously, as if he'd forgotten to brush it. He seemed to relax as soon as he saw her. "Are you okay?" He moved swiftly to her, laying an arm across her shoulders. 

"I'm fine," she smiled. 

"You're up early." He sat down next to her, keeping a hand on her arm. 

"So are you, and I know for a fact that you don't have to be up for another three hours," she teased gently. He still didn't smile. "What's wrong, Adam?" 

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Just... a feeling, mostly, that something wasn't right with you. And a dream about a tiger, who looked like it was about to eat you." He barked a laugh. "It made sense at the time." 

Her eyes jerked to meet his. "A tiger?" she asked, trying not to show how panicked she was getting. Then Tabby jumped into her lap and began to purr lustily. 

"Isn't that the cat from the park?" he asked, reaching to pet her. One hand still rested on Maggie's arm. She found the gesture comforting. 

"Yes. She followed me home." Technically, she had come home in the jeep with Rocky and Adam, but Maggie wasn't going to tell him that. 

"Huh. Must be nice." He thought a minute. "Wait. They don't allow pets here." 

"She comes and goes," Maggie said. 

"Has anyone reported you?" 

"One man tried. They didn't find evidence of her, so they couldn't kick me out." Maggie shook her head. 

"So... did you... I don't know, put a spell on him? or curse him?" 

Maggie laughed. "No, it doesn't work that way." 

"Why not?" 

"It's the three fold law. What goes around...." She paused, a horrifying idea forming in her mind, but she forced herself to go on. "...comes around, only multiplied three times. If you send love, healing, stuff like that around, it will come back to you threefold. Same with hate, injury, and so on." She looked at him, and he blurred from the tears that suddenly filled in her eyes with the comprehension that filled her mind. "Oh, Lady, no," she whispered, and pushed the cat from her lap and stood up. "You have to go, Adam." She swallowed hard, barely able to talk. "Go far away and forget...." She couldn't talk anymore as his arms went around her and held her. She didn't have the strength to push him away, and found rather that she clung to him as she sobbed. His power, gently black, brushed on her shields and only served to make it worse. 

"What happened?" Tabitha asked from the hallway. "I just got her calmed down." She sounded perturbed, but her touch on Maggie's shoulder was gentle. 

"I don't know. I asked her about the cat, and she told me to go away." His soft voice echoed in his chest. 

"What were you talking about?" 

"The cat." 

"Okay, what about it?" She sounded impatient. 

"She said that someone tried to report her having the cat, and I asked her if she'd put a spell on him." He paused. "She said no, and said something about a threefold law, then told me to go away." 

"Oh." She sounded as confused as Adam had, then sucked in her breath. "Oh. Oh, no. Okay, that makes sense." 

"Good. Can you explain it to me?" 

"No, not now." Maggie pulled away from him and wiped angrily at the tears that refused to stop. "I have to... I have to figure out how to fix it." 'I can risk me, but not him'. Her rather careless words to Kat from ten years ago echoed in her mind. 

"Maggie, please. What is wrong?" He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks. 

She took hold of his wrists and sighed. She had to start trusting him sometime, had to tell him everything she could, if she wanted him in her life. And she did want him in her life; she just didn't know if he felt the same way. "Just... residual energy from some of the things I did. It has to go somewhere, and I asked the Lady to divert it for me, that I'd pay for it later. I forgot about it. That's why my kitten ended up dead in Eden, I think." She met his eyes. "I need you to... to stay away from me for a few days." She chuckled mirthlessly. "I can't concentrate when you're around, and I'm going to need to concentrate." 

He finally smiled, and it warmed his eyes, although it didn't replace the worry she saw there. "Well, it's nice to know I have the same effect on you as you have on me. Rocky's been pulling his hair out." 

"Hm, Rocky, bald. Interesting vision," Tabitha said, and Maggie giggled. It very quickly turned into hysterical laughter, and she collapsed back into the chair. "Oops. Sorry, Adam, I didn't mean to set her off like that." 

"It sounds like she's tired." 

"I'm sure she is; she woke up early.... well, duh, you knew that." Tabitha chuckled. "And she's been crying almost constantly since then. I'll get her back in bed." 

"I can do that." 

Maggie's giggles stopped abruptly as he lifted her, and she looked at him, startled, her arms looping almost instinctively around his neck. He grinned at her. "What are you doing?" Exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. 

"Putting you back to bed. You need sleep." 

"Sleep is highly overrated," she mumbled, and lay her head on his shoulder. He was so sweet to do this for her. 

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know." He lay her gently on her bed and pulled the sheets up around her. "Sleep well." His lips brushed her cheek. 

"Night, Adam. Love you." She slipped off into sleep, barely aware of his response. 

"Love you, too."

  


Maggie cut the circle, dismissing it, and sank down on her knees. She was exhausted, but at least all that negative stuff was aimed back at her, where it belonged, and no longer at Adam or any of her other friends. 

"Done?" Tabitha's voice from the doorway was soft and inquiring. "I felt the energy go. Do you want something to eat?" 

"Yes, please. I'll be in there in a minute." She began to slowly put the candles away, then everything else. Using the chest that had been her altar, she pulled herself to her feet. "Ugh. I'm totally wiped," she mumbled, and staggered out of the room and into the kitchen. 

"Wow. Some kind of spell, I guess?" Tabitha asked, setting a thick sandwich in front of her. 

"Yeah. It's the reverse of the original one, but there wasn't as much energy to direct when I did it the first time. Plus, I had to thank her for the warning." She eyed the sandwich, not sure if it was going to work out, but took a bite anyway. 

Tabitha got some milk from the fridge and turned around. "Well. Want another one?" 

Maggie looked down at the empty plate and blushed. Had she really just eaten that fast? "Yes, please. How long was I in there?" 

"About... three and a half hours." She set the second sandwich down on the plate. "I figured you'd be starved. There's a couple more if you want them." 

The second sandwich took her longer to eat, and when it was done, she leaned back in her chair, relaxed for the first time in days. Then sat bolt upright again as a memory surfaced. "Did he really say that?" she demanded, staring at her friend. 

"Say what." Tabitha sat down across from her to eat her own sandwich. 

"That he loved me?" 

The look Tabitha gave her would have wilted a flower, except for the smirk Maggie could see twitching at her lips. "So you did hear that. Thing is, he said that in response, so you must have said it first. Boy did he looked shocked, too." 

Maggie felt her face go red, and she covered her cheeks with her hands. "I didn't," she whispered. Tabitha laughed and nodded. "Oh, great. When did that happen?" 

"When did what happen?" 

"When did I fall in love with him?" She picked idly at the crumbs on her plate, more to give her hands something to do than anything else. 

"It's been that way as long as I've been with you," Tabitha said. "So, I would guess it dates back to high school. I'm sure it didn't happen after you left." 

"Why didn't I notice before?" 

"Because, silly, you were wrapped up in doing Her work. You had other priorities. She knew it, and I knew it, and I think he knew it, too. There were parts of the readings that I saw that lead to this conclusion, but you seemed to ignore them." She chuckled. "It was almost as if you didn't see them." 

"So, what do I do now?" 

"You could do a reading and find out what is going on with him," Tabitha suggested, her eyes glinting mischievously. Maggie glared at her, and she sighed melodramatically. "Well, is that foretelling still there?" 

Maggie closed her eyes and focused on the nightmare she'd had two days before. It was faded, fading as she tried to grasp it, and finally just gone, just a normal nightmare. She opened her eyes and sighed in relief. "No. It's gone. Now I just wait and see what happens."

  


"Please Forgive Me"  
Metallica, _Low Man's Lyric_

  


Maggie woke slowly, slower than usual, and the first thing she noticed were voices. "The car took most of the damage, thank heaven. She should be fine, once everything heals again." 

"When will she wake up?" That was Tabitha's voice; she didn't recognize the first one. 

"I don't know. When she's ready. That's how it usually works." 

While they talked, Maggie became more aware of herself, and of her surroundings. She ached... no, she hurt. There were sharp pains coming from one leg, but she wasn't sure which one. Both arms seemed to hurt equally. In between, she felt like a pile of jumbled bones. "Tabitha?" she asked, and was surprised to find she could barely whisper, and even that word sent sharp pains through her. 

"Maggie! You're awake." 

"Awake is one thing," she managed to get out, but the rest of the sentence remained in her head. Alive is quite another. 

"You were lucky, Miss," a stern voice said. "You almost didn't make it." A gentle hand encircled her wrist, feeling for a pulse. "But you did, and I bet you're in pain." Maggie forced her eyes to follow the arm attached to the hand on her wrist, but everything blurred before she even found the elbow. "Here, this will help." She felt a sharp sting in her hip, then the pain began to go away. The blurriness didn't, however. 

"Tabitha?" she repeated softly, trying to think, trying to remember. 

"I'm here," Tabitha's voice said from her other side. 

"What happened?" she turned to find her friend, then remembered the blurriness. Hopefully that would go away soon. 

"You were hit in an accident. Some guy came out of nowhere, apparently, and decided not to stop at the red light just as you were going through the intersection." 

"Is he okay?" she asked, and closed her eyes. It felt weird, having a conversation with her eyes closed, but it cut down on her headache. Headache? She hadn't even realized she had a headache until then. 

"He's banged up a little," Tabitha said. 

"What was he driving?" She had to know, or it would drive her nuts. 

"A moving van," Tabitha said. "Now, you go to sleep. I'll call Adam and get him to stop worrying; I made Rocky take him home when he about collapsed from exhaustion." 

A moving van, really, what a surprise, Maggie thought. "How long have I been asleep?" 

"Long enough. But it's okay. You go back to sleep. Don't worry about anything but getting better." 

Maggie thought about that, then nodded. It wasn't as if she could really do anything else, she thought. "Okay. Promise to make him stop worrying?" 

Tabitha chuckled. "I can't do that. But I'll help him feel better." 

"Okay," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep. 

When she woke, it was suddenly and with a lot of pain. The blurriness in her eyes seemed to have retreated; she could see to the end of the bed, but beyond that was a cloud of white. Except for the cast on her leg elevated at some angle, she would have guessed she were in someone's view of heaven. She turned her head to find out what else she could see, and found herself looking into Rocky's very worried face. "Hey," she whispered. If this were heaven, he was definitely an angel. 

"So, she wasn't lying," he said with a sigh that seemed to go all the way through him. "How are you?" 

"Mostly, I hurt," she said softly. "I'm glad you're here." She tried to reach out and take his hand, only to find that her hand - and arm - were also in a cast. "Hey.... how much of me got broken?" she asked. 

"One leg and one arm. A couple of the ribs on your left side were cracked, and your right arm got really twisted, probably when your car turned over." He chuckled. "But only you could get hit on the left side and break your right leg." 

She smiled. "How is my car?" 

"Totaled," he said. "Sorry. But if it had been a smaller car, you would have been just as totaled," he told her. The vision of Adam's smashed black Mustang flashed before her eyes. 

"I'm not?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady, as a tall, slender, dark haired woman stepped out of the clouds at the foot of her bed and sat next to Rocky. He reached out and took her hand, clinging almost desperately. "You must be Reva," she said. Enter the second angel, she thought. 

"You are definitely not totaled," Rocky said. "Yes, this is my wife, Reva. This is Margery Jourdemain, or Maggie, as she prefers to be called." 

"Hello. It's nice to finally meet you," Reva said. Maggie smiled. 

"Yes, I'm glad I got to meet you, too. I wish I'd known about your marriage, I would have sent something." A sharp twinge in her side let her know that she'd done too much already. 

"Hey, you did something for me," Rocky said. "I met her at the tournament. Her brother was competing against us. I almost didn't get to go." 

"Oh, really?" The Lady must have really helped out on that spell. Well, Rocky had been a good friend to her. "How long have you been married?" 

"About four years," Reva answered. 

"What took so long?" The only reason she kept talking was because it kept her mind off the pain. 

"Various things," Rocky grinned. "Mostly, she was away at school, and I was working. We kept up correspondence, though, and when she graduated she moved back here. We started dating seriously, and got married about a year later." 

"Slowpoke," she grinned at Rocky. 

He barked a laugh. "Me? Slowpoke? Now, I realize you had things to do, but ten years is a long time, Maggie." 

She sighed, and gasped in pain. "I know. I had horrid visions of Adam getting serious with Tanya or some other girl, then getting one of my letters and breaking it off with her because of that. I kept my letters friendly and far between, for that reason." 

"You are not the reason he's still single, at least, I don't think so. Tanya ...." He paused. "Tanya's a cool woman, but she...." He sighed. "I don't know how to put it. She didn't mean to string him along like that, I don't think...." 

"I do," Reva said bluntly. "It was cruel. How many times did he show up at our house that first year we were married, saying he didn't want to be alone, looking like he'd gotten dressed up for a date?" She took a deep breath. "I know she's one of your friends, Rocky, but I can't make myself like her. And I did try." 

He sighed. "I know you did." 

"She's one of my friends, too," Maggie said. "There were times I didn't like her very much either." She thought a minute, refusing to give in to the pain. "That was about four years ago, and lasted about a year?" she asked. 

"Yes," Reva said. "How do you know?" 

"I was about to leave Chicago, and if I hadn't been sure I was needed in Kentucky right then, I would have come back here and told her what I thought about her." She stopped to breath, feeling her ribs pressing painfully on something. Her side felt on fire. "She would have beaten me soundly. I only had basics of about four different styles of martial arts, for all that Adam tried to get me to learn one and get good. But at least she'd know how I felt." 

"Okay, that's enough," Reva said softly. "I'm sorry I even brought it up." 

Rocky brushed her hair away from her face. "Hey, was your hair always so red?" he asked. 

"Um, yeah, I think so. I mean, I think Tabitha's is a little redder than mine, but not by much. You're seeing it in contrast to white for the first time, Rocky. I don't wear white, it bleaches me out." 

"I can't tell if it's the white from the pillow or because of the pain," Reva said softly, and smiled. "I really am sorry to have upset you like that." 

"Oh, that's okay. Talking to someone has kept the pain at bay." 

"You mean, you're supposed to have had something already?" Rocky asked. 

"I don't know. I've been asleep." She smiled. "It's not that I don't like you, Rocko, but..." 

"Where's Adam?"he asked with a knowing smile. "You two have the worst luck. Tabitha took him home an hour ago." 

"Is he okay?" she asked, a little too vehemently, and she had to stop to breath again. 

"He's fine. Just...." 

Reva laughed, interrupting him. "I have never seen him so bad. What ever you have done to him, it's a good thing, but he's worried sick. He said he hadn't seen you since... a nightmare he had?" 

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. I don't know..." She looked at Rocky. 

"I haven't told her, and she'll take it fine." 

"Told me what?" 

"That I'm Wiccan. I had a Foretelling, and to avoid it there were a lot of complications, the least one being that he distracted me. I had to be distraction free..." She smiled at their laughter. "Oh, don't laugh too hard, Rocky. He said I was just as distracting for him, and you were pulling your hair out." She chuckled, winced, and resolved not to do that again. "And Tabitha treated us both to a picture of you bald." 

Reva burst into laughter as Rocky went red. "Oh. Quite a picture. Tell Tabitha thanks for that one." 

"I guess you've met her, then?" 

"We've run into each other a few times," Rocky said, then the nurse came in to give Maggie her pain killers. Not long after that, she fell asleep again.

  


When she woke up, there was a purring engine on her chest and draped across her right ribs, and the pressure on her injured ones nearly made her want to cry. "Tabby?" she whispered, and tried to open her eyes. "Tabby, you've got to move, that hurts." The cat slipped off her chest and curled against her unbroken ribs. 

"Does that mean you're awake?" a soft, most welcome voice asked, and she made her eyes open. Adam sat by her bed, leaning over her, one hand petting the cat at her side, the other entwined in her hair. 

"Yes," she said, "and even before the painkillers wear off." Then the paradox slammed into her and she looked at him, eyes wide. "Did you smuggle the cat in here?" she asked. 

"Well, sort of," he said, and gave her the half smile that used to drive her crazy in high school. Okay, never mind used to. It still did, if her heart rate were any indication. Maggie was glad they had taken the heart monitor away before she'd seen him again. "She walked in with me." 

"She told you." 

He nodded. "She said if you trusted me, then she could. And she felt that having something living curled up to you would help. I offered," he grinned, his face flushing slightly, "but she pointed out that the nurses would not go for that, even less than they'd go for a cat." 

"Darn," Maggie whispered, and he blushed bright red. She wondered if she had, too, then chuckled, wincing at the stabbing pain. 

"We've had two near calls already, and we haven't been here that long," he continued, trying to regain his composure. "Kat and Tommy were here for a while." He looked at her, head tilted to the side, color nearly restored. "Tabitha reminds me a lot of Kat, you know?" 

"Yeah, I've noticed that, too," she said softly. "I'm glad to see you." 

He chuckled. "So Rocky said when he called me earlier." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Don't do that again," he said. 

"It was out of my hands, Adam," she said. 

He looked away from her, his hand moving in her hair, stroking gently. "What was your nightmare?" 

"That morning you showed up at our apartment?" 

"Yes." 

She sighed. "I dreamed that... there was an accident, and..." She paused, looking up at him, meeting his eyes. They were deep brown, full of concern for her. She tried not to get lost in them, and found that she failed miserably, or was too late to take that kind of caution. It had already happened. "And you died. And it was my fault." 

"Your fault?" He touched her face, running his fingers down the side of it ever so lightly, but she still felt twinges from the bruises. She didn't say a thing, but he stopped and went back to petting the cat. "Were you driving?" 

"No. I wasn't even there." 

"Then how was it your fault?" 

"Remember the threefold law?" He nodded. "I had to... had to..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "Destroy a werewolf, and a few other things. And while it was for a good cause, still, there were repercussions. I had diverted those away from me, and... forgot that I had to pay the price, sometime. She reminded me... and if I hadn't acted, if I had let it stay away from me..." She was surprised to find that he blurred, then tears trickled from her eyes. "I would have killed you. Maybe I wasn't driving the car that would have hit you, but it would have been my doing. The dream was a warning." 

"So, what happened?" he asked, gently wiping the tears from her eyes. 

"I think... I think I took your place. Or, you were taking mine, if I hadn't undone the spell. My car is just sturdier than yours. I don't know. But as I pointed out to Her, I can't serve Her if I'm dead." But I can if you are.... 

"Oh." He nodded. "Dangerous line of work." 

She grinned. "No more dangerous than your former one. At lot less dangerous, in some ways." 

"Scared me to death." He was whispering, his mouth by her ear. "Please try not to do that again." 

"Please forgive me," she whispered back. At least he hadn't made her promise it wouldn't happen again. She had a horrid feeling it would, and more often than she'd really like, if her memories of her mother were any indication. And possibly more often than he'd like, if they ended up together. She pushed the thought away, almost afraid to think like that, to get her hopes up. 

"Always." His breath was warm on her neck. "I'm beginning to think I'd go crazy without you." 

"And if you don't kiss me, I _am_ going to go crazy," she responded, and he did, almost before she finished her sentence. 


	10. "Call it What You Want, I Still Call it ...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

"Call it What You Want, I Still Call it Love"  
New Kids on the Block, _Call It What You Want_

  


"Ugh, did you have to call everyone?" Maggie demanded, staring as Tabitha wheeled her out of the hospital. She was checked out and ready to go home, and a huge group of friends were standing in the parking lot. "Tabitha, tell me this was not your idea." 

"Actually, I didn't tell anyone but Adam," Tabitha said. "I suspect they've been calling the hospital about it, though." 

Maggie could see Aisha and Billy, Tommy, Kat, Adam, Rocky and Reva, and Jason, all of whom seemed to be waiting for her. "They know I just want to go home and go to bed, right?" 

"Yes, we know that," Kat said as they all came to surround her. "But we wanted to see you come out of the hospital; most of us saw you go in." She glanced around, then whispered "Adam, thankfully, missed it." 

"I'm glad of that," Maggie said, then the subject of the exchange put a hand on her shoulder. 

"You look like you're going to fall asleep any minute now," he said softly. "Let's get you home, okay?" 

"Please?" she asked, looking up at him. 

"You know, I get the impression that has become a very private conversation," Tabitha said to Kat in a stage whisper, and Maggie flushed. 

"Well, he's had the best idea all day; he offered to take me home," she said in defense. 

"Your home or his?" Rocky asked, that familiar knowing grin lighting his face. The others around him laughed. 

"As if I could get up the stairs at his place," Maggie mumbled, glaring at him, causing more laughter. "Now, I am going to take him up on his offer. You coming?" she asked Tabitha, who smiled. 

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this," she grinned, and she and Adam helped Maggie into the car. 

When they got home, Adam very carefully carried her into the house and set her on the bed. "You'll be okay here?" 

She relaxed, closing her eyes. "Ah, my own bed. I'll be great." She ignored the pain in her ribs as well as she could. 

He sat down next to her. "So... Did they say when you'd be mobile again?" 

"I'm pretty mobile," she said. "Just slow." 

"Good. Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?" 

Maggie's eyes widened. A date? He was finally asking her... "Yes, please. That would be fun." 

"Great. I'll go and let you get some rest, and I'll be here tomorrow around five to pick you up. Okay?" 

"Okay," she said a little plaintively. He patted her shoulder with a sympathetic smile. 

"Get some rest." He stood and walked out the door, and she heard him say goodbye to Tabitha before the door closed. 

"So?" Tabitha asked. Maggie laughed, wincing as her ribs jabbed her. She had to remember not to do that! 

"So, what?" 

"What did he say?" 

"To get some rest. And that we were going out to dinner tomorrow night." 

"He doesn't work fast, does he?" Tabitha asked. 

"No." Maggie grinned. "It's the whole group, I think. I haven't found out what took Tommy and Kat so long, but Rocky took almost a year, I don't know the story behind Aisha and Billy," I have to remedy that, she thought, "and even Kim is taking forever. I just don't get it." She shook her head. "Even Tanya doesn't seem to be moving very fast." 

"Tanya." Tabitha looked at her, her face squinted up in concentration. "Oh. The letter that came just before we left Chicago." 

"Right." 

"So, what's the story between them?" Tabitha shook her head. "Never mind. You sleep." 

"I think I will," Maggie said, extremely glad that she didn't have to answer that question. She wasn't actually sure she could. She closed her eyes, and felt the cat snuggle up to her unbroken ribs. She fell asleep to the gentle purring. 

Tabby was gone when Maggie woke up again, sore and in pain. Struggling a little, she got out of bed and into the wheelchair, and motored into the kitchen. "It just occurred to me," she announced to her friend, "that going out to dinner is a dumb idea, unless he wants to feed me." She looked in frustration at the brace on her right arm. "But I'm not going to tell him that," she added quickly. 

Tabitha laughed. "How long have you been waiting for this date?" 

"Oh..." Maggie leaned back and thought a minute. "Somewhere around eleven years, I think. Rocky seemed to think that Adam knew not to get that close because of... well, the last ten years." She scowled. "I still would have liked a date." 

"But?" 

"But he had a girlfriend." 

"So?" 

"She didn't even like it when he was tutoring me in geometry. She didn't like when he tutored Tommy, so I was much more of a... an insult, I guess. Tommy definitely wasn't a threat." 

Tabitha laughed. "Oh, I hope not." Then she sobered. "Let me guess. The infamous Tanya." 

Maggie nodded. "And I'm thankful there is only one."

  


The next day she found it harder to move. Determined, in spite of the stiffness in her side that made even breathing painful, she got ready for her date and was waiting in the living room when there was a knock on the door. Tabitha came running into the room and opened the door, and Maggie stared in disbelief at Billy, who waved at her. "Ready?" he asked Tabitha. 

"Yeah, give me a minute. Maggie, I'll see you later tonight, okay?" 

Maggie blinked at her. "Okay. But where are you going?" 

"Billy and Aisha invited me to dinner. Have a good time." She waved, closing the door behind her, and Maggie just stared at the door in disbelief, feeling completely confused. The next knock on the door she moved over to answer, only to have it open just before she reached it. Adam looked in and grinned at her. 

"Hi. Can I come in?" 

She blinked and straightened her thoughts. "Yes, please. I'd like that." 

He stepped in, hands behind his back, and closed the door. "How are you feeling?" 

She tried a deep breath, and winced in pain. "Mostly, I hurt," she said. 

Adam nodded. "I thought about that." One hand came out from behind his back and handed her a white rose. Maggie stared at it, and she reached for it with the arm in the brace. She stopped abruptly at the pain in her side, and he stepped closer to press the rose into her hand. "Sorry. I've forgotten what it's like to have injured ribs." It was the first clue that they ever got injured... although it wasn't necessarily a Ranger related injury, she corrected herself. "I thought, after I left, that you might not really want to go out for dinner, so I brought it in. It's a little cliche', but it was the best I could think of." His other hand appeared, a bag from a take out Chinese place in it. "I know, it'll be hard, but I'll help," he added as she opened her mouth to protest. She scowled at him. How does he do that? 

"Well, shall we eat in the kitchen, then?" she asked, trading the scowl for a smile. 

"Best place I can think of," he said, set the bag in her lap, and pushed her into the kitchen. 

Maggie stared. Tabitha had set it up very nicely, with a table cloth, her best dishes, and even a bottle of sparkling cider in an ice bucket. She caught Adam out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at him. He smiled at her. "You should see your face." 

"Oh, I don't doubt it," she said, grinning. "I don't doubt it." 

They ate, at first rather awkwardly, then better as she worked some of the stiffness out of her muscles. But the pain in her side remained, lurking for the perfect moment to strike, usually when she was drinking something. It got really frustrating. Finally, she gave up and sat back. 

"Enough? Or too much pain," he asked gently. "I'm afraid I didn't plan this well at all, the best thing would have been soup or something." 

"No." It was too fast, too vehement, and fire shot through her side. "It's okay, really." She wanted to take his hand but knew she couldn't reach that far. "How long have Billy and Aisha been back?" 

A wary look crossed his face and he leaned back in his chair. "Why?" 

"Because you didn't say anything in your letters. Or was it my fault, for not writing you back?" 

Emotions flashed across his face, and Maggie had to smile. It was a most enlightening experience, and she wondered if her emotions had done the same when she'd had to tell him she was leaving. "Billy came back before then, but only for a while. He went to Africa to get her. I guess they had been writing - how, I have no idea, he was off planet - and he finally decided he'd had enough. He came back with her just after I sent the last letter." 

Maggie blinked. "Wow. I think that's the fastest I've heard of the Ranger's moving, as far as romance goes." 

"What does that mean?" he asked, curious. 

"It means, Adam, that you have waited ten years, and I told you not to. That Kim has taken this long to get married. Jason still isn't, and as far as I can tell, he isn't even dating anyone. Rocky and Reva took six years, Tanya is still single, and I can't even tell you about your heirs." She stopped suddenly, gasping for breath and trying to ease the pain in her side. "I really hate this," she growled. 

He was laughing at her, and when she glared at him he only laughed harder. "What is so funny?" she asked. 

He leaned over and gently hugged her. "You, Maggie, are really funny. I didn't realize you were keeping track of us." 

"It's all I did during High School, until you went and used that... crystal thing. Suddenly I didn't know what you guys were doing, and you avoided me like the plague." Then she shook her head. "No, I'm not going to go there, and neither are you." She grinned suddenly. "I think we have something in the fridge for dessert, too." 

His eyes brightened. "Like what?" She was glad she'd dropped the subject then; he hadn't wanted to talk about it then, either. But they were going to have to. Some time. 

"I don't know. Take a look and see what's in there."

  


"Lately, If it Wasn't for Real Bad Luck, I'd Have no Luck at All"  
Angel, _Bad Time_

  


The phone rang, startling Maggie out of her book, her childhood favorite called _The Power of Three_, and she stared at it until it rang again. "Hello?" 

"Maggie, this is Reva. You and Tabitha are still coming over tonight, correct?" She sounded a little flustered. 

"Yes, of course." 

"Good. I'm sending Rocky for you now." 

"Now?" Maggie dropped her book. "What's wrong, Reva?" 

There was a silence on the other end. "We may have bad news, and we want you here." The phone had changed hands, and Rocky didn't sound any happier than Reva had. "Is Tabitha there?" 

"No, and I don't know when to expect her. But she knows where you live, and I'll leave her a note." She noticed distantly that she was still operating in 'alert' mode, and wondered if it would ever go away. Even on crutches, she was pretty much able to go somewhere at a moment's notice. Just not very quickly. 

"I'll be there in 15 minutes, then." 

It was really only about an hour early, Maggie thought, but still... it had the feel of something gone drastically wrong. She started to pick up the book, but the protest her not-yet healed ribs gave her stopped that activity. She got up on her one crutch to get ready to go, giving thanks one more time that she didn't have to deal with the wheelchair anymore. 

Tabitha came in with Rocky, gathered what she'd need quickly, and they all piled back into his jeep. Maggie watched her friends, curious. Tabitha seemed quite solemn, and Rocky was downright depressed. "Did you tell Tabitha already?" she finally asked, just to break the silence that had gotten suffocating. 

Rocky shook his head. "No." 

Maggie nodded and turned to look at Tabitha, who was sitting in the back seat behind Rocky, hissing in pain as it aggravated her ribs. "So, what's up with you?" she asked, facing forward again. 

"I saw a woman that gave me the heebie jeebies," she said. "I can't explain it, and I'm sure part of it is that I've been hanging around you too much, but I just had a feeling she was bad news." Tabitha shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she even has anything to do.... No," she corrected herself. "Every time I've had this feeling, it's had something to do with us." 

Maggie sighed. "Well, it's not enough for the Lady to warn me about, so hopefully it's nothing major." 

"Unless this is your warning," Tabitha said. Maggie nodded. 

"Not much of a warning," Rocky mumbled. 

"We've worked with less," Maggie said, and gently touched his arm. So have you, she thought, remembering the day that had repeated itself three or four times, and the only indication they'd had was Tommy's weird feeling of deja-vu. When they'd told her, it had really bother her. "It's not fun or easy, but it's possible." He glanced at her, then nodded. 

They arrived at Rocky's then, and Maggie smiled to see Adam's black Mustang in the driveway. Could they have invited him, too? "Great," Rocky mumbled, and the smile fell from her face. No, that wasn't it. He helped her out of the car, then Reva came to meet them. 

"He saw her. He's a nervous wreck," she said. 

Realization hit Maggie. "Tanya came back, didn't she," she said, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Reva nodded. 

"Yes." 

Maggie took a deep breath and forced her feelings into control. She could fall apart later. "Let's go in and see if we can help." 

Reva's statement was true; Adam was pacing the length of the living room and didn't even see them until Reva took his arm. "Calm down," she said. Maggie wondered how many times he'd heard that since he'd arrived. 

"I can't," he protested, then his eyes met Maggie's. She smiled at him. He grew still for a minute, then walked over to her and just held her, not too tightly, but he seemed to be drawing strength and calm from her. She was so glad she'd managed to get some feelings under control. She kept the pain of her ribs to herself. She watched with some amusement as the others discretely vanished from the room, and resolved to thank them later. 

"Are you okay?" she asked after a minute. 

"No." He spoke into her hair, his breath tickling her neck. 

"Want to talk about it?" 

He didn't answer, and the sinking feeling increased. I don't want to lose you, she thought softly, but I want you happy. "I don't know if talking will help." He gave a laugh that sounded closer to tears. "I don't know if I can find the words." She waited in silence, focusing love, acceptance, and calm in his direction. 

Finally, he took a deep breath. "I bet you'd like to sit down," he said, and his grip on her loosened. 

"Oh, I don't know...." She broke off; now was not the time for stupid quips. Or was it? He probably could use a chuckle. "I rather liked you holding me." 

He flushed slightly and looked away. Her heart sank further. "I'm sorry. That was the wrong thing to say. I even thought it was and ignored it. Not that it wasn't true, mind you, but the timing was _way_ off. I'm sorry," she finished lamely, wincing. 

He gave her a half smile. "You're cute when you're flustered." Keeping an arm around her waist, he led her to the couch and helped her sit down, then sat next to her. 

"Adam, what's wrong?" Actually, she thought she knew what was wrong, but it was a place to start, at least. 

"Rocky told you Tanya was back in town?" 

"Well, Reva did." 

He stared out the window for a minute, hands clasped together. "I thought this was done with," he mumbled. She waited, one hand on his arm, trying not to intrude too much. "Tanya... I thought Tanya was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. The confidence I could feel when she smiled at me was... so enlightening, I could do anything." He paused. "It was like there was a world out there suddenly that didn't think I was cool because I could... could beat up on it. Or because I could save it. And she wasn't stingy about smiling, either." His hands twisted. Maggie finally gave in to the insistence in her side and leaned back against the couch, sighing softly in relief as the pain eased a little. "Then she broke up with me, and it was like the world went black." He sighed. "It was weird. And she went to LA, and I thought everything would be fine, but she's back now...." 

"Feelings like that just don't go away," she whispered, when he didn't continue. "And you were feeling everything really intensely. All of you were. Something about putting your life on the line, and with someone else." She smiled. "There's a pretty strong bond between me and Tabitha, too, but not the same thing." 

He choked out a laugh. "I hope not. I don't think I could take that heartache." 

Maggie stared at him in surprise. "I'm always careful with hearts given to me, as careful as I know how to be. If that were the case, I would have told you right after you kissed me in the park that first day." 

He leaned back and took her hand. "I don't know what I did to deserve you." 

"You don't think saving the world from aliens was a qualifier?" She said it lightly, then grew serious. "I'm sure that's part of it, in fact. My father never understood my mother." 

"Why?" 

"She did the same thing I do. He'd never been a soldier, nothing. He didn't understand the danger, or the reasoning behind what she did." She paused to gather her thoughts. "I'm not saying we're meant to be together - like married - in a predetermined kind of way, or anything cheesy like that. I just don't think Mom ever found someone she could talk to about her experiences. I have a bunch of friends who understand at least a little of where I'm coming from. In that sense, we are meant to be together, sort of as a support group. I'm sure of it." She had to turn, so she could look at him without straining her ribs. She didn't want to go on, but she knew she had to. Looking him in the face was probably the hardest thing she'd done so far. "Tanya understands you better than I ever will. I saw what you did from the news, and heard some stories from you, Rocky, Kat and Tommy, and even a few from Aisha and Billy. It's not the same. Tanya was right there with you for almost a whole year, experiencing the same things, doing the same thing. You might find...." 

His fingers touched her lips and she quieted. "What do you want?" 

"What do I want?" She paused, her mind spinning. "I want a couple of things.... no, I can say it in one. I want you to be happy. I'm hoping like anything that you'll be happy with me, but I love you a lot..." She blushed, but refused to let it distract her. "You have to make the decision. And I don't want you to have to live with regrets." She took a deep breath, which immediately caused her to hyperventilate as she tried to keep the pain at bay again. Her ribs burned. Finally, she got herself back under control and gave him a wry grin, which he gave back to her, but it didn't hide the worry in his eyes. She went on before he could interrupt. "I don't play with hearts, and I have no patience for those who play with mine. You have to decide soon, Adam, or we will simply become good friends, like when you helped me with math." And it will be better than nothing, she thought to herself, but it had the tone of trying to convince herself. 

He looked at her in surprise, and she had to look down, away from him. She had never seen such anguish in anyone's face. Then he sighed. "I guess it's only fair." His grip around her tightened briefly, then he gently let her go and stood up. "Tell Rocky I'll talk to him later, okay?" 

She nodded, but didn't manage to get herself in control until he was at the door. She looked up and he smiled at her, then left and closed the door gently behind him. She got to her feet, chilled without his arms around her. "Rocky? Tabitha?" 

"In the kitchen," Reva told her from the door, and looked around. "Where's Adam?" 

Maggie started towards her, keeping the tears inside by pure strength of will. "He left." 

Reva stopped her, one hand on her shoulder. "Good left or bad left?" 

Maggie chuckled, and heard the desperation in it. "I don't know," she said honestly, still fighting tears. "I don't know. At least he knows where I stand on the whole situation. I'll be happy for him if he stays with her, but...." She swallowed hard and fixed her eyes on the carpet. "But I'll be awfully sad for me." She managed a smile and looked up, without meeting Reva's eyes. "Pretty selfish, isn't it?" she asked. 

"No," she said softly. "I don't think so. Come on into the kitchen and eat. Unless you'd rather not?" 

"Actually, I'd better," Maggie said with a short sigh. "I don't want to face me if I don't." She started slowly for the kitchen. "I'm not likely to be very good company, though." 

Reva smiled. "Between you and me, neither is Rocky. But we'll live with you two for tonight." 

Maggie stopped. "Did I ever tell you how lucky Rocky was to find you?" 

Reva looked at her, surprised. "No. Why do you think so?" 

Maggie shook her head. "Because you seem to be the perfect match. I'm glad, you know. He was one of my best friends, and I always hoped he'd find someone that fit him. He's more serious now, which is good...." She smiled at some of the antics he'd pulled, then shook her head again. "Anyway, I'm glad he found you, and thank you for letting me be a part of your life." 

Reva smiled. "Well, he's happy, and when he's happy, I'm happy, too." 

"And vice versa, I'm sure." 

"Hey, are you guys coming?" Rocky asked, appearing in the doorway. They both turned to look at him, and Maggie nearly burst into tears at the look of despair on his face. 

"You just ruined a good get-to-know-you chat," she griped at him with a smile and a voice that trembled, starting towards the kitchen. "You have the worst timing sometimes." 

"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one." He helped her to sit down, turning to pull Reva into a hug before seating her as well. No, Maggie thought, you aren't the only one.

  



	11. "And I Want to Know for Sure, if I Shoul...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

Writer's note two: This starts in the Ninjetti season, for those who know the show, before Aisha goes to Africa, and the whole Zeo season starts. Also, I have nothing against Tanya, and I hope I haven't made her out to be something she's not.

"And I Want to Know for Sure, if I Should Stay or Walk Away"  
Psuedo Echo, _Walk Away_

  


"What, does she have spies in Angel Grove?" Maggie demanded, glaring over the coffee table at Aisha. 

"I don't know, Maggie." Aisha tried to calm her friend down. "I haven't talked to her, and I don't think Rocky did. I KNOW Reva didn't. Kat, maybe? Tommy? Justin? There are just so many people within the circle who could have told her he took you out. And then there are those outside of it. For all we know, Bulk told Skull and he told her." She paused. "Are you sure that's why she came back?" 

Maggie sighed, wincing in frustration at the twinge in her side. "No. It's just so frustrating," she growled. "There's nothing I can really do, short of using her tactics, and I don't want that kind of pressure on him. He doesn't need it. But it's just too much of a coincidence." 

"Have you called him?" 

"No... What am I going to say? 'Hi Adam, have you decided?' Again, pressure he doesn't need." 

"Have you been on a walk lately?" 

"No. I haven't been able to...." She paused. "No. I wonder...." 

"There. Now you have a reason to call him." She grinned wryly at Maggie. "Besides, if you ignore him, he'll think you've decided he wasn't worth the wait. Let him know you're still interested. For all that he's a little more outgoing, he hasn't changed all that much from the incredibly shy guy I got to know in grade school." 

"I feel like I'm in high school again!" Maggie said, but was beginning to feel better. Her arm was free of the cast, her foot in a walking cast. This could work. 

Aisha grinned mischievously. "I'll dial, you speak." 

Maggie smiled. "All right. Wait. Does he have caller ID?" 

Aisha paused, thinking. "I don't know, but you're right, it will look funny if he does and you call from here." 

They said their good byes a while later, and Billy drove her home. He didn't say anything to her, and she was glad; she didn't think she could take an interrogation right then. She was nervous enough, thank you. Once inside, she stared at the phone for a while before picking it up and dialing Adam's number. It made her feel like she was in high school again. At least, this time it didn't take her as long to call as it had back then. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi, Adam." However, the butterflies in her stomach had tripled. 

"Maggie! How are you?" He sounded happy to hear from her. 

"I got a walking cast on my foot. You busy for the next hour or so?" 

There was a pause, and Maggie nearly held her breath. "No, not really, why?" 

"Because I thought... I'd like to go for a walk in the park again. With you. Now that I can. Walk, I mean. Without crutches." She could feel herself blushing and was really glad he wasn't there to see it. 

He laughed, and she stifled her sigh of relief. "I'd love to. Shall I pick you up?" 

"No, I'll meet you there in about..." She stopped, trying to calculate. "About twenty minutes?" 

"I'll see you then." 

"Great. Thanks, Adam." 

"Of course," he said, and they rang off. Maggie grabbed her jacket and her keys, scribbled a note to Tabitha she hoped her friend would be able to read, and started for the park. 

He got there before she did; she could see him waiting, dressed casually in black and white, a pleasant reminder of the first times she'd seen him. And he still looked fantastic. What would she do without him? "Good evening," she said as soon as she was in range. He turned to face her and smiled. 

"Hello. You look nice." She glanced down, having forgotten what she was wearing, then smiled. 

"Oh. Thank you. You look very... frog-like." She tried so hard to keep her smile hidden, but at his confused look, she burst into giggles, all of which hurt. He waited until she had control of herself again. "Kat said something about it once," she told him, a little breathless. 

"Frog-like?" He wasn't angry, which was good. 

"Yes. You were wearing an outfit almost exactly like that one when I first saw you, walking down the hall with Rocky and Aisha to where Kat and Tommy were waiting, on my first day at Angel Grove high." 

"You remember that?" he asked, offering his arm. She took it, and they began to follow the path in front of them. 

"Oh, yeah, I do. I remember watching you later that afternoon, walking off to Ernie's because I told you I was going to wait for Kat and Tommy. I stood there and mumbled 'I can't get involved, I just can't', because I knew I'd be leaving soon. We always moved pretty quickly." 

"But you didn't move." 

"I told my Dad I didn't want to. And I told him there was a guy here I wanted to date." She wondered briefly if her cheeks were turning red. "He was so excited, I'm half convinced that's why he didn't try to move. The other part is that he would have had to go without me, and I think he knew it." 

"Someone you wanted to date?" Adam asked softly. 

"Well, yeah. This really hot guy... half Korean...." She knew her cheeks were flaming by now, and she looked down, letting her hair cover her face. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" 

"You were so shy, it was painful. I didn't want to scare you. And then you went loopy for Tanya..." 

"Loopy?" he asked, and the tone in his voice made her look at him. He was stunned. 

"Loopy. Um.... To translate into Angel Grove-ese, you were crazy about her." 

"I was not!" 

"Adam." Maggie could barely hold back her laughter, but she managed somehow. "A lot of our tutoring sessions were ended because you couldn't keep your mind off her - those that didn't end with your 'watch' going off. I was glad you were trying to stop being shy, it was neat to watch. You were so crazy about her." 

He suddenly laughed. "I was that obvious?" 

She smiled. "Incredibly. I don't think anyone was surprised when you two started dating, least of all me." She shook her head. "Your relationship with her was good, in that respect. I mean, you were beginning to be unshy already, because it's hard, I suspect, to do what you did and be shy, but she...." Maggie ground her teeth to keep from adding 'she ripped your heart to pieces countless times, and I wasn't there to help you'. "She seemed to make you bloom." 

"Until we chose our heirs," he said softly. Maggie slowly shook her head. 

"It was before that," she said softly. "Like, before I left, in fact. I must be one heck of a threat to her." That's all I can figure out. And if I knew how she'd known about our dates.... She stopped abruptly, suddenly so jealous she didn't know what to do. 

"Maggie?" His voice was gentle, as was his touch on her arm. "Maggie, you're shaking." 

"I'm furious," she ground out. I can't tell you what I'm really feeling, she thought. "This is not what I imagined this walk would be like. I'm sorry. I didn't want to focus on Tanya, I'm trying to forget her." She tried to find her center, but the anger didn't just go away. They walked on in silence. Finally, she shook her head. "I'm really sorry about that." She still wasn't calm, and the jealously she was feeling made her feel positively filthy. After a minute, she sighed. "This is not working. I just...." 

Her voice trailed off as he stopped her, turning her to face him. "Maggie. Why does she bother you so much?" 

She looked at him and was surprised to find herself nearly in tears. "I... She... What she did to you," she finally got out. "I mean, the whole thing just as I was leaving Chicago, and I couldn't be there. Reva said it was really bad for you, that she...." Maggie shook her head. "How did she know you took me out?" 

"What?" 

"Her timing is just... too good, Adam." She looked down. "I'm rather useless to talk to right now, I think. I can't... I can't be fair to her, or to you, really. I'd better just go home." She started to walk away, only to have his arm encircle her waist and hold her there. 

"Hang on a minute," he said softly. She found herself held rather tightly against him. She slipped her arms around his waist and lay her head on his shoulder. To her surprise, calm radiated from him, and helped ease the jealousy she felt. And the familiar, subtle shock of his power made her feel a lot better. Slowly, she relaxed, the tension draining out of her. "You've been strung taut for a while, now," he said. "I decided this was a good way to make you relax." 

"Okay," she said softly, enjoying the sound of his voice. "I'm not going to argue with you." 

"I'm going up to Rocky's cabin this weekend," he told her. "By myself. I have to think, I have to get away from both of you." He chuckled. "Rocky's making himself go bald faster than before. You were a passive distraction, Tanya..." he paused. "Well. Hey, relax," he said as her muscles tightened up again. "I promise not to bring her up again." 

Maggie didn't think she could get out of his grip if she wanted - which she didn't. "Hm.... Okay." They stood there for a while until an urgent meowing caught Maggie's attention. She looked down to see Tabby, and gently extracted herself from Adam. "What's the matter?" she asked, going down on one knee to pick the cat up. As soon as she stood up again, Adam slipped an arm around her waist. What was up with this? Not that she minded, of course. 

Tabby kept looking in one direction, off to Maggie's left, and she turned to follow the cat's gaze. "She gave you the heebie jeebies?" she asked, keeping her voice down. Tabby meowed, and Maggie leaned wearily against Adam. "That's Tanya." She decided then she was going to have to have a good, hard cry, no matter how it hurt. She just couldn't keep this up. The cat jumped from her arms and stalked towards the dark-skinned woman, tail lashing back and forth. 

"She really doesn't like her, does she." 

For some reason, Adam's voice startled her and she jumped. "No. She saw her the other day, and it really spooked her. Tabitha didn't know who she was at the time, and she said it really bothered her. She has a sense about things like that. I don't think it was Tanya so much as it was how she was going to affect her." And me, she added silently. 

"And by extension, you." 

Maggie sighed. "Do you read her mind, too?" 

He looked at her in confusion. "Why?" 

"Because I swear you can read mine. Ever since you showed me that clearing, with Rocky and Aisha. It was eerie. I just wondered if you do that with everyone, or if I'm some sort of special case." 

He grimaced. "You make it sound so... clinical." 

She smiled and glanced around to find Tabby. "Hm. The cat has vanished." Tanya, however, hadn't, and she was headed in their direction. Maggie gave Adam a gentle squeeze, then stepped out of his arms, towards her. "Tanya! Hi!" she said. 

Tanya smiled, perhaps a bit forced, and hugged her. "Hi. How are you?" She, too, still held power, but not as strongly as Adam, and no where near as strong as Aisha. Maggie forced herself away from the questions in her mind to focus on the one Tanya had asked her. She was going to have to ask someone about this. 

"Doing great. Well, recovering." She indicated her foot. "I hear your career is going well." 

"Yes!" Some measure of emotion finally entered her voice. "It's been a fascinating experience, and the album should be out soon." 

"Well, if the rest of the songs are as good as "Stick Together", it'll be a hit." 

Tanya looked at her in surprise. "Thank you." She turned to Adam. "Do you have plans for this evening?" she asked. 

He glanced at Maggie, then shrugged. "Actually, I have some stuff I need to get done. I'd planned on spending the rest of the evening alone." 

"I'd better get back," Maggie said, acutely aware of how uncomfortable he was, and feeling rather out of place herself. "I left a note for Tabitha, and I don't know if she could even read it." She smiled. "It takes longer than twenty minutes to get here with this." She gestured at her cast. "It was good to see you again, Tanya. Good luck on your album." Amazingly enough, it was an honest wish. She touched Adam's arm. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" He nodded, and she walked away, pausing only once to lift the cat that had followed her. She looked back at the same time to see them talking earnestly, but she was too far away to tell what kind of conversation they were having. She had to set the cat down a couple of minutes later; too much pressure on her ribs. She hated it. 

"That's Tanya," Tabitha said next to her a few minutes later. "She's pretty." Her tone was non-committal. 

"Yes. Very. Strong willed, too." Maggie smiled. Which was good, she supposed, as far as being a Power Ranger went. 

"I still don't like her." 

Maggie grinned. "You haven't even talked to her." 

Tabitha smiled slightly. "I don't have to."

  


"When I Heard the Stained Glass Shatter All Around Me"  
Dream Theater, _Surrounded_

  


"I'll be fine," Maggie said, pushing Tabitha towards the pet store. "Go, look, find something you like! I'm not an invalid. I just have injured ribs." 

Tabitha took a hesitant step forward, then turned back. "I feel stupid!" 

Maggie barely managed not to laugh. "No one will know you picked out the scratching post, except maybe Adam, and he won't care. Just go!" 

"Where are you going?" 

"I don't know. Over to Musicland, maybe." She wanted to be alone and think. Adam had left last Saturday, and today was Tuesday. She was trying to keep her mind off of him, and the decision he was hopefully making in her favor. "Or the book store. Check both places when you're done." She limped off, her leg still in a cast, then turned back. "Just... make it easy to carry, if you can." 

"Oh, very funny," Tabitha grinned, and finally vanished into the store. Maggie sighed in relief, wincing at the twinge in her ribs. 

"Hi," a voice said, and she turned to smile at Tanya. Is there no chance for solitude? she wondered. 

"Hi. How are you?" 

"Good." Her response was unemotional. 

"Looking for anything specific?" Maggie asked. Goddess, Lady, please help me out of this! 

"No, I just haven't been here in a long time. Since Kat went to London, in fact." 

Maggie nodded. "Good memories, then?" 

Tanya finally smiled, a little. "Yes. Very good ones." 

"Good. How long are you planning to stay?" It came out sort of unplanned, and Maggie flushed. "Sorry. That didn't sound very good, did it." 

To her surprise, Tanya laughed. "I had forgotten you blush so easily. It's a nice surprise to find someone who is embarrassed and shows it." 

"Don't see many like that in LA?" 

"No. And let me tell you, Skull is just impossible sometimes." She smiled. "What are you looking for?" 

"Actually," Maggie grinned, "I was looking for some good music. Care to help me out there?" 

As she'd hoped, Tanya brightened. "Sure. I can do that." They walked slowly towards Musicland. "I can only stay until the end of the week, actually," she added after a minute. "I really needed a break." 

"Huh. I bet it is busy there." 

"Hectic." She leaned closer. "There are days that are busier than some of the ones we had with our 'extra-curricular activities'. But there are some that are just heavenly." 

"Do you miss being here?" Maggie asked, and winced again. That's it, bring up all the bad stuff.... 

"Yes. I was really disappointed that I couldn't make it for Aisha's wedding." She opened her mouth as if to explain, then waved it off. "It was just impossible." She did sound disappointed. 

"It was lovely," Maggie said. "I only made it out of pure... coincidence." She grinned at Tanya, who grinned back with a knowing look in her eyes. 

"Coincidence," she said, and chuckled. 

They spent the next twenty minutes talking music, exchanging ideas, and picking over the selection of cd's. Tanya checked her watch and said something about having to meet someone to go back to her hotel, and they parted on friendly terms, at least as far as Maggie was concerned. She hoped Tanya felt the same way. She remained there, a few cd's in her hands, looking over the selection of classical music when a familiar, old song started.

  
You need to give it up  
Had about enough  
It's not hard to see  
The boy is mine....  
  
I'm sorry that you  
Seem to be confused  
It's not hard to see  
The boy is mine...  


She tried to hold in the laughter, but by the second half of the chorus, she was laughing, in spite of how much it hurt. The pain didn't go away; finally, she dropped the cd's on the rack, not trying to catch them as they fell, and lowered herself to the floor. She leaned against the rack, but that didn't help either, and breathing was getting difficult. Finally, she got control and was about to answer the worried questions of the staff, when another line caught her attention:

  
What makes you think   
That he wants you....  


and sent her into hysterics all over again. She vaguely heard Tabitha wanting to help, and then her friend was next to her, looking concerned, which didn't help any at all. 

Suddenly, she was crying, not sure at first if it was the pain in her ribs or the whole emotional turmoil she'd been experiencing, then not caring as she sobbed into her friend's shoulder. She heard Tabitha talking to someone, and not long after that, she was lifted gently and carried from the store. She buried her face in whoever's shoulder it was, but couldn't stop crying. She was set into a car, handed off to someone else, and as they drove off, she began to regain control. She recognized Aisha's car before she closed her eyes and slept. 

When she woke up, she was sore, too sore to even think about moving. The bed wasn't familiar, and there was no cat purring at her side. Finally, knowing it was going to hurt, she opened her eyes. 

They burned from the tears, but focused easily on... nothing familiar. Nothing? There was a plaque on the wall, something about William Cranston. So that was who Tabitha had called. She sighed gently, and even that slight movement made her gasp in pain. "I hope I didn't do any damage," she mumbled, and struggled to get up. 

It took her a long time, but she finally made it, and started for the door. Every step hurt, but she tried to focus past it, forcing her mind to think of other things, anything but the pain and the song she knew was running through her head. 

"Are you okay?" Aisha asked gently from behind her, and Maggie had to keep herself from turning to look at her. 

"Yeah, except for the head ache." And the heart ache, and my ribs hurt.... "I could do with about forty aspirin, to make the pain go away." 

Aisha moved swiftly around her, concern in her dark eyes, and Maggie heard what she'd said. "Oh, no, that's not what I meant," she stuttered in horror, and gasped at the fire that burned through her ribs. "I mean, just to get rid of the outer hurts, the ribs and the head and the leg sometimes, too. For the inner hurts I have you guys." It hurt, talking so fast, and she tried to ease her breathing. 

Aisha sighed in relief. "Okay. Aspirin I can give you, but not quite that many, if that's okay." 

Maggie smiled. "No, about four ought to do it." 

"Are you hungry?" Her voice echoed in the bathroom, and Maggie finally got her bearings straight. 

"Yes, actually." 

"Good." She reappeared and handed four small tablets to Maggie. "Let's get you something to eat." 

The conversation in the kitchen stopped as they appeared in the doorway. "She's fine," Aisha grinned at the two sitting there. Maggie sat gingerly in a chair as Aisha found her something to eat, then she couldn't stand the looks she was getting from Tabitha. "I'm okay," she said, but not as forcefully as she would have liked. That would hurt too much. "I'm sore, but I'm okay." 

"What happened?" Billy asked, concerned. 

"Oh...." Maggie took a drink of water, then leaned back. "I met Tanya at the mall." She caught the multitude of exchanged glances and smiled. "No, she didn't beat me up," she said. "We actually had a good time together, and even shared an inside joke. She was really sorry she missed your wedding." 

"Yes. She wrote," Billy said. 

"Anyway, we went into the music store, because I knew I could get her to talk to me about music, and she helped me choose some. Then she had to leave. Just after she did, an old song came on, one of my favorites. It was rather appropriate, and I started laughing." 

"Oops," Tabitha said. 

"What song was it?" Aisha asked. 

"From about ten or nine years ago, the duet by Brandy and Monica." She took a bite of her sandwich in order to distract herself a little. She didn't dare say the name of the song. 

"The Boy is Mine?" Aisha asked, and her eyes widened. A giggle escaped her, and she covered her mouth with both hands. Tabitha groaned. 

"Oh, great." 

"Exactly. So, I started laughing, because it just couldn't get any better, and then Tabitha came in... And I've needed a good cry for a while, so I had one." 

"In Musicland, in the mall," Tabitha added dryly. 

"It's been waiting to happen," Maggie said a little defensively. "It was a little over the pain from laughing, but mostly over Adam." Tabitha touched her arm, and Maggie shifted uncomfortably. "Then I guess Tabitha called you guys, and I can only guess that Billy carried me out, because neither of you are strong enough. And I woke up in this bedroom I have never been in, and made Aisha think I wanted to commit suicide." She grinned at Aisha. "Sorry about that. I really wasn't thinking very clearly." 

Aisha smiled. "That's okay. As long as it was a false alarm." 

"It was, believe me." She took a drink of water. "Now it's time to move on, and find a car. Anyone got any ideas?" 

Before anyone could answer, the phone rang. Aisha reached over and grabbed it. "Hello?" She froze, glanced around the room, then seemed to break out of the spell that held her. "Just a minute." She put the caller on hold, and hung up. "I'm going into the other room. Do not listen, or I will kill one and all of you." Then she left, almost at a run. 

Billy leaned over and touched the Caller ID box, and grimaced. "She answered it too soon. I keep telling her to let it ring at least one more time," he muttered. Maggie smiled. 

"You sound married." 

"I am married," he protested, grinning, and Maggie opened her mouth to ask him how he and Aisha had kept in touch. Then she remembered Tabitha and closed it again. 

"Yes. And it seems to fit you." She glanced around the kitchen, then thought of a question she could ask. "How did she like Africa?" 

"Well enough, I think, but she prefers it here." 

"Aisha was in Africa?" Tabitha asked. 

"Yes. She moved there during our Senior year," Billy said with a haunted look in his eyes. "It was something she felt she had to do, and she did a lot of good. There was a huge problem; the animals were sick, and it had reached plague proportions. She helped find a cure for them." 

"How long did it take her?" 

"It took them almost fifteen years to find it, and she helped for the last six or so, I think she said. Then she just stayed, because she felt at home there." 

"And you went and got her," Tabitha said. 

Billy grinned. "Yes. We kept in touch, and I finally got too lonely and went and got her. It didn't take too much convincing for her to come back here; it was more of a battle to get her to let me get the Caller-ID she doesn't use because she doesn't let the phone ring long enough." 

The subject of the conversation poked her head in the door. "I'm going for a walk. By myself." She looked and sounded angry. "I'll be back soon." She left before they could ask her anything, and Billy sighed. 

"That is a bad sign," he said softly. 

"How bad?" Maggie asked. 

"She's angry at someone, I can only guess the person who called, doesn't want to talk about it, and has to get over the anger before she can face anyone." He smiled. "She can be cranky as a bear, sometimes." 

"How cranky can bears get?" Tabitha asked, and Maggie grinned. 

"If Aisha is any indication, very cranky," Billy said. "You'll let me know when you want to go home?" 

Maggie nodded. "I think I'd better. I need some more sleep. I just hope I didn't damage these stupid ribs." 

Billy nodded. "All right. Let me leave her a note, and I'll take you home."


	12. "Boy, I'm Trusting You with My Heart, My...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.

Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.

Writer's note two: This starts in the Ninjetti season, for those who know the show, before Aisha goes to Africa, and the whole Zeo season starts. Also, I have nothing against Tanya, and I hope I haven't made her out to be something she's not.

"Boy, I'm Trusting You With My Heart, My Soul"  
Aliyah, _Are You That Somebody?_

  


Voices outside her door woke Maggie, but she lay still, trying to determine if it were real people or if Tabitha had the tv or radio on really loud. Finally, she recognized one voice, at least, as being Tabitha's and decided that maybe it was time for her to get up. 

Her ribs were even more sore than they had been when she went to sleep, if that were at all possible. Her attempt to roll over to make getting up a little easier forced a moan from her. She was getting really tired of the pain, and decided again - as she had for the last six weeks - that a request for healing might not be a bad idea. Usually even the thought would bring a negative feeling from the Goddess, and it took her until she'd managed to sit up to realize that it hadn't come this time. She grimaced. "I guess I've suffered enough," she said softly. "Thank you, Lady." 

It took another eternity, stepping ever so carefully in order not to jar her insides, to reach the door, and a third one as she followed the voices into the kitchen. She paused just outside as she recognized the second voice. Adam's. What was he doing here? Stupid question, she thought almost immediately. As if he were ever to be unwelcome! 

"High school?" he asked. "Everything was confusing. There were monster attacks, dealing with new students, and it was all so... immediate. Intense." There was a pause. "We took refuge wherever we could." 

"Monster attacks?" Tabitha asked. "You mean, Maggie wasn't exaggerating?" 

Adam chuckled. "Knowing Maggie, she understated it a bit." 

"Understated?" Tabitha squeaked. "How do you understate monsters as big as skyscrapers?" 

"Easily. Most of the monsters were bigger." 

Maggie would have given almost anything to see her friend's face. "Bigger?" she squeaked again, sounding remarkably like a mouse. Maggie stifled the giggle that threatened to make her hurt more. "How is Angel Grove still standing?" 

"The Power Rangers." He said it so matter-of-fact, as if he hadn't been one for almost three years. 

"Power Rangers?" 

"Five or six people who appeared every time a monster attacked, masked and in costume. It was pretty much old news by the time I moved here. Scared Rocky, Aisha and I though. We got... waylaid by Lord Zedd just before we moved. It's a long story, and Aisha tells it better." 

"I guess I'll have to ask her." A chair scraped the floor, then Tabitha came around the corner. Both of them jumped back in surprise, and Maggie winced. "I thought I heard something," Tabitha smirked. "Come on in and join us." She grabbed Maggie's arm and pulled her into the kitchen. Maggie smiled sheepishly at Adam, who stood so quickly he knocked the chair over. 

"You're okay?" he asked, moving towards her and ignoring the fallen chair. 

Maggie smiled to hide the butterflies that started a panicked fluttering in her stomach. "I'm fine. Sore, but fine. How are you?" 

He reached out to touch her, but drew his hand away again, and her heart sank. "Better," he said after a minute. "Not so... confused." 

Tabitha had her sit down, and after a quick, startled search, Adam righted his chair and sat stiffly in it. "How long have you been back?" she asked as Tabitha sneaked out on kitten feet; Maggie only noticed because she was used to noticing. She didn't think Adam did. 

Adam cast a glance at his watch with a faintly surprised look. "About half an hour. No," he corrected himself suddenly, "about an hour and a half." 

An uncomfortable silence fell, and Maggie wished Tabitha had stayed. "What..." she started, then blushed and looked down, frantically trying to think of a way to ask 'Who did you decide for?' a little more tactfully. 

"Why are you sore?" he asked after a short while. 

"Oh. Um. I ran into Tanya in the mall, and spent some time with her. It was nice; I hope she went away with the same feeling I did, that she was glad we were still friends. I am." He nodded, looking faintly guilty. "Well, she left, and I heard a song that made me laugh. Then I had a good cry. My ribs hurt." She tried a smile; he grinned. 

"Do you feel better? Other than the ribs, I mean." 

Maggie nodded. "Pretty much, yes. Thank you. How about you?" 

He looked startled, almost as if he hadn't expected her to ask. "I'm okay. Less confused, like I said." 

"Really? What happened?" 

"A lot." He looked down at his hands, clasped and resting on the table. "I dreamt. And..." He looked hesitant, then sighed. "I managed, finally, to get over Tanya. She was understanding." 

Maggie's heart jumped into her throat. "Really?" she managed to get around it. 

"Yes. She felt that it was right, too. She likes Skull; she said he's no longer quite so insufferable." 

"Ah." Maggie nodded. She couldn't say anything more; she could barely keep from shouting for joy. 

He got a confused look. "Maggie, am I too late? I'd like..." He swallowed and tried again. "I'd like to find out if we.... if maybe we can be something, together." He reached across the table and took her hand. 

"What?" Maggie brought herself back to now from the daydream his earlier words had invoked. "Oh! No, no, of course! I mean, no, you're not too late," she stammered, and blushed at his grin. Of course, she thought, I'm fairly certain you'd never be too late. The relief she could read in his eyes was just as heady as his words before had been. 

"Good. I was a little afraid I would take too long, but I wanted to be sure." 

"And you are?" 

He nodded. "I know it won't work out with Tanya. Let's see how we do, okay?" 

Maggie grinned. "Deal." She wanted nothing more than to lean across the table and kiss him, but she didn't know if that would scare him off permanently, and she did know that it would hurt. A lot. So she squeezed his hand and smiled as big as she could.

  


"You're smiling too much for there not to be good news," Tabitha said, prowling around the back room as Maggie calmly set it up for a ceremony. 

"Look," she said, smiling. "Go to Kat's or something. I need peace right now. I'll explain everything later." 

"I want an answer." 

"I'm going to start this ceremony, and I know how much you hate the flare of energies," Maggie warned, picking up her Athame. Tabitha touched her hand. 

"Please, Maggie." 

Maggie had never seen a cat beg, but here was Tabitha doing her best... cat version of 'puppy dog eyes' she'd ever seen. She nodded and relaxed a little. "Yes, it's good news," she smiled. "We're going to see if we can 'be anything', as Rocky would say. I'm actually quite happy with that... We'll take it from there. Now, go away." She smiled. "I really do want this rib pain to disappear." 

Tabitha got to her feet. "Good. So I can tell Kat and Tom the good news?" 

Maggie stared up at her, then nearly choked on a laugh, struggling to keep it in, not wanting to make herself hurt. "What?" Tabitha asked. 

Finally getting herself in control, Maggie managed to gasp out, "did you hear what you just said?" She purposefully did not look at Tabitha, knowing that would override the fingernail's grip on control that she had. 

"I'm leaving," Tabitha said in a strangled voice, and fairly ran out of the room. She'd almost gotten the front door closed before bursting into laughter, but Maggie heard her just before the door slammed shut. She let out the breath she'd been holding, grimacing in pain, and began her ceremony. 

She cut the circle, astonished at the feelings she'd gotten from the Lady, and got to her feet. It had been so incredibly weird.... 

A knock at her door distracted her, and she set the athame down and went to answer it. She opened it to see Adam, smiling at her. "It's a beautiful day, and Angel Grove Beach is calling our names. Can you hear it?" He cupped a hand to his ear and leaned in the direction of the lake. "Maggie, Adam, come swimming..." he called softly in a haunting voice, and she smiled. 

"Okay," she said. "I'll try it." She invited him in and went looking for her swimming suit. 

They were at the beach about half an hour later. Maggie looked at the water, then smiled at Adam. "Why didn't I think of this sooner? All I have to do is find something for my head and my feet, and I can just float." 

He laughed. "Let's find something, then," he said, and offered his arm. She took it and followed him farther down the beach. Before long, they found something that would suffice, and Maggie waded out into the water, Adam right behind her. 

Their day at the beach was a huge success; Maggie arrived home late that night to find Tabitha pacing a little. "Where have you been?" she demanded. 

"The beach," she said, then cringed. "I forgot a note, didn't I." 

"Yes. Although I guessed you'd gone with Adam." She smiled at him, and he grinned back. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make trouble." 

"Oh, you didn't," Tabitha said. "She did." She gestured at Maggie. 

Maggie grinned. "Go away, Tabitha. I want to tell him good night." 

"I'm gone," Tabitha said, and practically sprinted from the room. 

Maggie turned to Adam. "Thanks. That was fun." 

He pulled her close, gently. "Did it help?" 

"I think so. Whether it did or not, I loved it. Will I see you tomorrow?" 

He laughed. "Just try and stop me," he said, and kissed her. "Sleep well, okay?" 

"I will," she said with a wink. "I'm exhausted."

  


"A Look and then a Smell of Perfume"  
Savage Garden, _I Want You_

  


The reception was casual, like the couple, like the wedding. It was in the park, in the clearing Maggie considered hers. Although, it was quickly changing to 'ours' in her mind. Maggie stood next to Adam as he spoke to the people she didn't know, which was most of the crowd. Most of the ones she did added a rainbow of colors in her second sight, and it made her smile. 

A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned to smile at her father. "Come dance with me," he said this time. "It's tradition." 

She turned to tell Adam where she was going, then allowed her father to lead her onto the dance floor. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. His hand had drifted to her shoulder all afternoon, almost as if he were reassuring himself she was actually there. 

He smiled, misty eyed, and hugged her gently. "I'm fine. Just the odd mixture of happy and sad that every father goes through at his daughter's wedding. Are you sure this young man understands you?" 

Maggie smiled, raised up on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. "I'm sure, Daddy. Don't worry about me, or him. We'll be fine." She caught sight of her father's 'date'. "Are you happy with Karen?" 

He stiffened slightly. "I am, Maggie." 

"Good," she said decisively, and he relaxed again. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your wedding." 

"It's okay," he said gently, with a smile. "I saw your car. I was just glad you survived." 

"So am I, believe me," she said, then a hand tapped her shoulder again. She turned to smile up at Adam and Karen, her eyes lighting up as she saw her husband. 

Karen chuckled softly. "Trade me?" she asked. "Adam's nice, but I rather prefer your dance partner." 

Her father chuckled as Maggie let him go. "Go, spend time with him," he said quietly. 

Maggie blushed and stepped into Adam's arms. Without a second thought, he led her off the dance floor. 

Someone blocked their escape route, and Maggie grinned. "Tanya! You made it!" she exclaimed, and gave the other woman a hug. 

"I'm sorry I missed the ceremony," she said as Maggie let her go again. "I don't have much time, but I wanted to stop in and tell you both congratulations." There was a shadow in her eyes when she looked at Adam, who had turned to talk to Rocky, and it was gone when she looked back, but Maggie had seen it. Tanya smiled the best she could with the pain in her heart. 

"I'm glad you did. Thank you." Maggie leaned closer. "I wish you love and happiness, Tanya. And I wish that you recognize it when you see it." 

Tanya stared at her, then slowly a smile spread over her face. "Thank you. Really. Um. Adam?" 

He turned. "Tanya. Thank you for coming." He reached out to give her a hug. "I'm glad you could make it." 

"It's a short call, I'm afraid. I made them give me a longer lay over, so I could make it, but I have to get back." She seemed much more at ease, less... regretful. "But congratulations. And I wish you both the best." She leaned down and kissed Adam on the cheek, then hugged Maggie again and made her way from the clearing. 

"What did you say to her?" Adam asked Maggie, slipping an arm around her waist. 

"That I wished her love and happiness - and that she'd recognize it when she saw it." 

He brushed her hair from her face. "You amaze me, sometimes," he said softly. "You just do." 

"Yeah, well... the feelings mutual," she whispered. "I'm still not sure how I got to be so lucky." 

"Blessed," he corrected her softly. "Blessed." 

"I'd like to make a toast," Rocky announced, and the talking paused. Maggie and Adam turned to face him. "Adam has been one of my best friends for years. We've been through a lot together, most of it good, some of it bad. Through it all, amazingly, we've managed to stay friends. He never forgot me when I was hurt, and stuck with me through the physical therapy when I threatened to kill him on a daily basis. 

"Maggie, on the other hand, has been on of my best friends for years." He winked at her as everyone laughed. "Not as many as Adam, granted, and many of those she was off traipsing around the country. I still don't have many details, hint hint, about what happened. But she is no less dear for that. And no one deserves happiness more than these too - not that most people deserve it less, but you know what I mean. So, I give two of my best friends." 

A cheer went up, and Adam hugged Maggie closer. "He went on forever at Aisha's wedding, and really made her embarrassed," he murmured. She grinned up at him. 

"What did you do to keep him from doing that?" He gave her an innocent look, and she laughed. "Fine, don't tell me," she said softly. 

There were a few more toasts, none quite as funny as Rocky's, then the music started up again. The guests went back to eating and dancing, and slowly, Adam began drifting for the edge of the clearing, taking Maggie with him. Once they reached it, they slipped through the trees until the music was a low noise in the background. 

Adam took a deep breath, and the tension drained from him. Maggie grinned. "Not a crowd person, I guess." 

"No, not really." He reached up and brushed hair from her face. "You know," he said, almost conversationally, "you have made me the happiest man I know." 

She hugged him tightly, then relaxed without moving away from him. "Well, good, because I'd hate this to be one sided," she murmured. 

"How long do you think it will be before they come looking for us?" he whispered. 

"Far too short. On the other hand," she added, stepping back from him to meet his eyes, "we have a couple of weeks just to ourselves." 

"When does it start?" he whispered. 

"Far too long," she whispered back, then sighed as someone called her name. "See, far too short." He squared his shoulders, and they walked back to the clearing. 

Finally, the reception was nearing it's end. Maggie breathed a sigh of relief and sagged limply against Tabitha. "I like all of these people I don't know, and I love all the ones I do, but this is ridiculous!" she muttered. "I want to go sleep somewhere." 

"Sleep?" Tabitha teased. 

"Yes. Sleep. A nice, long night of sleep - and lots of play afterwards." She blushed, but grinned anyway. 

Tabitha chuckled. "Oh, you'll be fine. There he is. Go on. I'll see you when you get back." 

Maggie surprised her friend with a hug. "Thank you for everything, Tabitha. And have fun. I'll see you soon." 

She turned and smiled at Adam - her husband - and at the butterflies the sight of him still conjured in her stomach. He held out his hand to her; she took it and he tucked hers into his elbow to escort her out of the clearing under a shower of bubbles, and to the sound of laughter. 


End file.
